


Saving Buckaroo

by megas217



Category: 9-1-1 (TV), 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Adoption, Child Abuse, Child Neglect, Cousins, Foster Care, Foster Parent, Happy Memories, Nightmares, Other, Single Father, Therapy, young Carlos
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 08:20:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 33
Words: 52,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25846480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/megas217/pseuds/megas217
Summary: Evan “Buck Buckley-10Tyler Kennedy Strand (TK) -10TK and Buck are cousins who live in New York when Owen was called to come pick up his son and nephew from school and takes Buck to the hospital, Owen has seen Buck at his ‘best’ and ‘worst’ so Owen makes a promise to his son that they will do everything in their power to help Buck. It’s going to be a long recovery but with live and care from his uncle and cousin Buck will get better.*no Maddie in this story she’s already moved away and living with Dough*TK’s parents got divorced before TK was 1 And she moved across the country to Oregon*9/11 happened so Owen always talks about it if the boys have any questions about that day so they are not scared.Owen and the boys move to Austin in hopes to give everyone a fresh start.Young Mateo and Carlos.Current Chapter: Adoption Day!
Relationships: Cousins - Relationship, Father and Son - Relationship, Foster parents and foster son relationship
Comments: 58
Kudos: 79





	1. Owen saves his nephew

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Don't forget to leave comments and Kudos!

TK was at school on the playground waiting for his cousin to show up when Buck hasn’t been at school for a few days when TK was going to take the subway to Buck’s apartment if Buck isn’t at school today when Owen just gave TK a cell phone for emergencies only and this was an emergency when TK would call him dad on the way home and tell him that he is going to the library after school as it’s not a full lie it’s a little white lie and his dad knows Buck’s situation so it’s going to be fine TK told himself. 

Buck came to school covered in cuts and bruises and looked shocked as the teachers stopped him as TK ran to him “Ev?” TK asked as Buck broke down on his cousin when TK held him “shh, it’s ok Evan.” TK said as Buck shook his head “can I take him to the nurse’s office to get him cleaned up? I have an extra outfit he can wear.” TK said as he’s been carrying extra clothes with him just for these cases “Tyler we need to call the cops and his parents.” Principal Joe told TK when Buck screamed no “call my dad please. He’ll know what to do!” TK said as he had tears in his eyes as he knew who did this to Buck and it’s the same people who would hurt him even more as Buck was holding onto him tighter as TK rubbed his back “please!” TK said when the principal shook his head when he’s never seen TK go against his orders so it must be important to TK. 

Owen got a call from TK’s school when he just dropped him off so he was wounded what kind of trouble his son was causing so when he answer he was shocked but not surprised when he found out it was about Evan Buckley his nephew who lives in a abusive home with his parents “I’ll be right down, please don’t call his parents, I’ll take Evan with me so I’ll be responsible if anything happens to him.” Owen said as Joe said ok when Owen was grateful that he had the day off when he’ll bring Buck to his apartment when he knew that TK would want to come also.

Owen made it to the school when he walked in and saw his son sitting in the front office rubbing his hands together so Owen walked over to him “Ty?” Owen said when TK looked up as he hugged his dad “they are going to hurt him,daddy and we can’t do anything to help him!” TK said as Owen shushed his son when he rubbed his back “Tyler, we’re going to help him out, where is Evan?” Owen asked when TK pointed to the nurses office when Owen shook his head when he walked to the office and saw Buck on the bed as he looked very bad as he hadn't seen him this bad in a while “hey Owen, here for Buck?” Nurse Linda asked when Owen shook his head as he carefully lifted Buck into his arms without making Buck uncomfortable as Buck wimped a little as Owen shushed him “your ok buddy, it’s just Uncle Owen.” Owen said as Buck opened his eyes as he saw Owen as he finally cried as Owen shushed him before he shifted Buck so his head was on his shoulder when Buck was the closest thing to a second son and he will do anything to protect him.

Principle Joe smiled at Buck who seemed content in his uncle's arms “you can sign him out, he’s not fit to be in school.” Principal Joe said when Owen shook his head as he carefully sighed Buck out without disturbing the young boy “is TK going home also?” Joe asked as he knew how close those two are and right now they need each other “yeah, sorry for the inconvenience but Evan needs to be in a calm setting with his best friend.” Owen said while he sighed his son out also as he looked at his son as he smiled at him “ready to go home and take care of Buck?” Owen asked when TK shook his head when he was holding both his and Buck’s backpack when they made it to the car as Owen placed Buck in the back seat “are we going to the hospital again?” TK asked when Owen looked at him “I don’t know buddy, I think Buck needs to be in a calm place and the hospital isn’t very calming.” Owen said as he buckled Buck into his seat before he closed the door “you always told me if Buck is hurt we need to get professional help.” TK told Owen who shook his head “I know buddy, let’s just go see if Buck has any injuries that daddy can't see then we’ll take him home.” Owen said when he also needed to get Buck checked out so he can file a police report for neglect. 

Owen helped the boys out of the car when Buck almost passed out so Owen lifted him up and carried him inside as TK walked behind his dad holding his backpack when Owen checked Buck in “please, my nephew needs help!” Owen said as the nurse shook her head when it was a quiet morning so Buck could get in right away. 

The nurse brought the family back as he smiled at the young boys when Buck looked very familiar as the nurse knew him “Owen, what happened to Buck this time?” Nurse Bryce asked when Owen placed Buck on the bed “TK was waiting for Buck to come to school when he saw Buck walking up to the school’s playground and he looked like this.” Owen said pointing to Buck as TK shook his head as he pulled out Buck's old outfit which had blood on it “I’ll have the cop come talk to you guys and take the clothes for evidence.” Bryce said as Own told him thank you when TK sat next to Buck who looked like he was going to throw up as TK grabbed the trash can when Buck took it as he threw up with blood coming out of his mouth as Owen was very concerned as he pushed the call button when Buck was crying “shh it’s ok Buck, it’s ok.” Owen said when Buck shook his head when all the nurses and doctors ran in as TK was by his dad’s side when they watched Buck get taken care of “dad?” TK asked when Owen looked at him “yeah bud?” Owen asked as he felt his son holding onto him “Buck is going to be fine.” Owen said as he never wanted to lie to his son but right now it’s the only way to keep his son calm while watching his cousin getting taken care of “TK, Buck is going to be fine.” Nurse Bryce said as he smiled at the young boy who was very hesitant when Owen rubbed his hair “what caused him to throw up blood?” Owen asked when TK shook his head when Bryce looked at the boys “Owen I think we need to go talk in the hallway and one of my friends can stay in here with the boys.” Bryce said when Owen shook his head as he lifted TK on the bed next to Buck “daddy will be back.” Owen said as TK shook his head who placed a hand on his cousin’s shoulder when he walked out to the hallway as Bryce, and Dr.Sanson who was in charge of Buck’s case when Dr.Sanson wanted to do a CT on Buck's stomach to see if he has any internal injuries “Owen, we all know what this is. We need to call CPS and get Buck’s parents investigated.” Owen shook his head “it should have been investigated 6 months ago when Buck came to the hospital unconscious when his dad dropped him off and I was called in.” Owen said as he knew that the hospital was trying their best but Owen was getting frustrated with the situation when Buck is in need of protection but CPS won’t do anything even though Owen has called many times and they said that they will look into it “either Buck gets in my care by legal matters or I go down to the police station and file for temporary guardianship because Buck isn’t safe in his home.” Owen said when everyone shook their heads “we’ll do our best to get Buck into the right care and we all see how much you care for Buck so let us help you make this happen for everyone’s sake.”DR. Sanson said as Owen shook his head when he looked at his kids cuddling together as TK held Buck’s hand. 

Many hours later 

Owen took the boys home after Owen got temporary guardianship of Buck as his parents are in jail for child abuse and neglect “daddy?” TK asked when Owen smiled at him as he was getting Buck dressed in his clothes again before he lifted him up as Buck was tired “yeah baby?” Owen asked when he looked at his son “is Buck going to be ok?” TK asked when Owen smiled at him “it’s going to be a long road to recovery but with our help, Buck will be fine.” Owen said as TK shook his head as they headed to the car when TK got into the front seat “Tyler, your still on the small side of your weight so please get in the back seat next to your cousin.” Owen told his son when TK did when they headed to the apartment.

Owen Carried the sleeping Buck when they made their way into the apartment when Owen placed Buck in TK’s room before he covered him with the blanket before he joined his son on the couch while TK was watching TV “how are you holding up buddy?” Owen asked when TK shrugged as Owen knew his son so Owen took the remote and paused the TV before he looked at TK “how are you doing?” Owen asked when TK looked at him as he was crying “aww baby, it’s ok Buck is going to be ok.” Owen said as TK didn’t respond when Owen held him close to his side and rubbed his back “why do Uncle Rich and Aunt Lola hate Buck? He’s a good kid and his parents don’t like him!” TK said when Owen shook his head as he lifted TK into his lap “shh, your ok baby, daddy is here.” Owen said when he calmed his son down “Buck and you are going to share a room.” Owen said when TK shook his head as TK’s room is very big so they can add an extra bed or get a bunk bed as for Now TK’s bed is big enough for the cousins to share.


	2. Buck at the fire station

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Owen takes Buck with him to work when he wanted to keep an eye on his nephew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ⚠️Self harm in this chapter!⚠️

TK was helping his dad make dinner as they heard a screaming sound coming from TK’s room as Owen turned the oven and stove off when he ran to find his nephew tossing and turning in the bed screaming “no! Please I’ll be good! Daddy, I’m sorry!” Buck said as Owen walked over to him “can you please get Buck a water bottle?” Owen asked when TK shook his head as he walked to the kitchen and got a water bottle before he returned and saw his dad holding Buck in his lap when he handed the water bottle over when Owen smiled at him and said “thanks bud.” Owen told his son when he helped Buck take a drink “small sips buddy, we don’t want you to choke.” Owen told Buck when TK smiled at him as he sat next to his cousin as Buck calmed down “want to go sit on the couch and watch TV while TK and I work on dinner?” Owen asked when he looked at Buck who shook his head as they headed to the living room when Buck got on the couch when Owen placed a pillow behind Buck’s head and blanket on Buck when he smiled at him and kissed his head “TK placed your water bottle on the table and here is the remote so watch anything you want, I don’t think I need to tell you what is age appropriate but nothing PG13.” Owen said as Buck shook his head when he turned on Disney Channel when Owen smiled at him “we’ll be in the kitchen if you need anything Buck.” TK said when Owen shook his head when he walked over to the kitchen as he started dinner again. 

During dinner Buck didn’t eat much or talk as Owen smiled at him “you're doing great buddy eat as much as you can, I don’t want to force you to do anything that you don’t want to do.” Owen said as Buck shook his head “can I be done Uncle Owen? My tummy hurts.” Buck told his uncle who smiled at him when Owen shook his head “sure buddy, you did your best to eat your dinner.” Owen said when TK smiled at his cousin as he shook his head “you can go lie down on the couch and we’ll be over right after we’re done eating and we can just hang out till bedtime.” Owen said as Buck got up and walked over to the couch when Buck lay down and placed the blanket back on as TK looked at his cousin when Owen rubbed his back “he’s going to be fine-ish we’re going to help him feel the best at home.” Owen told his son “hopefully.” TK said when he brought his plate over when Owen placed Buck’s dinner in a storage container before he placed it in the fridge when TK washes the dishes before he placed all the dishes in the dishwasher “thank you buddy go join your cousin on the couch and I’ll be right over.” Owen said as TK did when he went over to the couch as he smiled at Buck when he sat on the end of the couch and placed the blanket in his lap when he was watching the TV. 

Owen looked at his watch when he saw it was bedtime as Buck was asleep when Owen careful lifted him up and took him into TK’s room when he placed Buck in TK’s bed while TK was in the bathroom brushing his teeth before he walked into his room and got into his bed when Owen smiled at him as he kissed his son’s head “come get me if Buck has any nightmares.” Owen said when TK shook his head “love you daddy.” TK said when Owen smiled at him “love you baby, daddy loves you so much.” Owen said when he looked at Buck as he kissed his head “can you leave my closet light on and the door cracked? I think it will help Buck sleep better if there is some light in the room.” TK said when Owen shook his head as he walked over to his son’s walk in closet as he turned the light on and cracked the door “daddy can get your night light lamp out of storage again.” Owen said as TK shook his head when Owen smiled at him and cracked the door before he headed to the kitchen and got some water before he walked to the couch and watched some TV as it’s been a long day for everyone as Owen has two young boys in his house when he was going to order Buck a bed as the full size bed was a great start but Buck would want his own bed when he gets more comfortable. 

Buck had a hard night of sleep when he didn’t want to wake his cousin up so he carefully climbed out of bed and headed to the living room when he sat down on the couch and looked into the darkness as he was worried that his parents would still hurt him even if he’s living with Owen and TK when Buck let out small whimpers when he didn’t want to wake anyone up as he’s used to being alone so why should he expect his uncle to walk into the room and sat next to him as Buck excepted the cuddles when Owen rubbed his head and back when he calmed Buck down when Buck hid his face into Owen’s shirt “shh it’s ok Bucky,no one can hurt you.” Owen said while Buck cried harder into his uncle’s shirt when Owen waited till Buck calmed down before he talked to the young boy “what’s on your mind bud?” Owen asked when Buck shrugged as he didn’t want to be a burden to his uncle who was already nice enough to take him in but for how long? How much longer till he’s pulled away from the fantasy that Buck is making for himself “how long do I stay for?” Buck asked when his uncle looked at him “Buck, you are not going anywhere, I’ll fight for you just like I fought for you today at the hospital when they wanted to put you in foster care but.....” Owen said as Buck looked away “hey baby, look at me.” Owen said as Buck did when Owen smiled at him “like I was saying you are not going anywhere because I’ll go as far as I need to make sure that you are in a safe place and I have watched you grow up and every time you come over to spend the weekend with us you are so much happier but then the sadness comes back when I have to take you back to your old apartment.” Owen told his nephew when he didn’t want to bring up even adopting Buck as it was too soon when Buck needed time to adjust to his new home and living with TK and himself. 

Owen put Buck back in bed when he kissed his head “don’t hesitate to come to my room if you need anything ok buddy?” Owen asked when Buck shook his head when TK rolled over and smiled when he felt his cousin near him as TK placed a hand on Buck’s arm as he opened his eyes a bit “your back!” TK told his cousin when Owen smiled at his son “night boys, I’ll see you in a few hours.” Owen said when he went back to his room when he thought about how much help Buck would need as he’s going to see if he can get him a therapist who specializes in trauma and abuse when Owen knew that Buck would be so scared to go as Buck hasn’t open up to him or TK since they came home from the hospital and he’s very quiet which isn’t his nephew as Buck is very outgoing and he can talk a mile a minute. 

TK got up for school when he looked at his cousin who was still asleep when he smiled at him before he walked into his bathroom and took a shower before he got dressed as he headed to the kitchen “morning buddy, is your cousin asleep?” Owen asked when TK shook his head when Owen shook his head while he drank his coffee as he made TK some toast “I’ll be back I’m going to wake up Buck, he’s not going to school today. I’m going to take him with me to work so I can keep an eye on him as I want to give him a few days to rest and recover before I send him to school.” Owen told his son when TK shook his head as Owen walked to the boy’s room as he looked at his nephew as Owen went into TK’s closet and grabbed Buck an outfit before he placed it on the dresser along with socks and underwear “hey Buck, it’s time to wake up buddy.” Owen said as Buck stretched and looked at Owen who smiled at him when he rubbed his back “morning, how did you sleep?” Owen asked when Buck sat on the bed and rubbed his eyes “good,I’ll get dressed very fast, sorry if I over slept I’ll do better!” Buck told Owen when he had tears in his eyes as if Owen was mad at him when Buck was on defense as if at any moment his uncle would hit him but Owen sat down next to Buck doing his best to keep Buck calm “hey, I woke you up because you get to hang out with me at the fire station because I want to keep an eye on you and give you a few days to rest and recover before you go back to school.” Owen told Buck when he wishes he could get his hands in Buck’s parents and give them a huge shake for how they have treated their son when Buck looked at Owen as if he was lying when Owen rubbed his hair “I’ll let you get dressed, I left an outfit on the dresser, it’s one of TK’s but this weekend we’ll go shopping and get some clothes and other things that you need.” Owen told Buck as he hugged Buck before he kissed his head and walked out. 

Owen dropped TK off at school when he called a head about Buck when everyone asked how he’s doing as Owen explained that Buck is the taking the rest of the week off and he’ll be back at school on Monday when Principal Joe told Owen that Buck can have as much time as he needs and he’ll inform his teacher about sending home the school work with TK as Owen thanked him when he looked at Buck who was sitting in the back of the car looking out the window with a sad look on his face as Owen knew that taking Buck to the station normally cheers him up but for now Owen will place Buck in the bunk room with his home laptop when he has a collection of movies that he keeps at work if he has to bring TK with him to work when he’s sick and can’t get a babysitter or one of his neighbors to watch TK “TK told me that you can sleep in his bunk and watch his favorite movies, he recommends you watch ‘Lion King’ and the ‘Incredibles’.” Owen told Buck who shook his head when they arrived at the fire station when they walked in as Buck kept his head down afraid of eye contact with anyone when Owen smiled at him “morning Buck, how are you doing buddy?” Jason asked when Buck looked at his uncle as if he asked for permission to speak with anyone “everyone is nice buddy, you can say hi to everyone. No one is going to be mean to you.” Owen said as Buck shook his head as he looked up “ggggggooooodddd, how are you doing?” Buck asked when Jason smiled at him “I’m doing great buddy, maybe if you are feeling up to it you can help me make lunch?” Jason said as Buck shook his head when he will do anything not to get anyone’s bad side as Owen rubbed his back “let me get you set up in the bunk room, we’ll see Jason soon as he’s going to stay back with you today and hang out while we go on calls since he’s on light duty from getting hurt a few days ago on a call.” Owen said as Buck shook his head when he was fidgeting with his fingers as Owen smiled at him when he kept some silly putty in his office because sometimes TK has a hard time focusing when he is doing his homework so Owen learned when he holds something in his hands he focused better.

Today was a chill morning for calls so Owen got a lot of paperwork done as he checked in on Buck a few time when Buck either was asleep or watching a movie as Owen just let him alone when he would bring Buck a water bottle and a few snacks as Buck looked at him and said thank you as he took them. Owen did learn something very interesting about his nephew as Buck isn’t a huge fan of the alarm going off as Buck always covers his ears when Owen felt bad for him as Buck gets more stressed by the loud sound “Jay can you please keep an eye on Buck while I go on this call?” Owen asked when Jason shook his head as he smiled at the little boy as Buck was mumbling something to himself “hey it’s ok buddy, it’s just the alarm going off, your uncle will be right back.” Jason said as Buck looked at him as Buck was picking his hands to the point Buck made himself bleed when Jason didn’t want to yell at the young boy so he did his best to comfort him and clean Buck’s hands up before he wrapped them as Buck was a little scared but Jason explained everything to him as he did it when Buck calmed down just in time for Owen to come back and gave Buck a sad smile as Jason explained everything “thanks for helping out Jay, I really appreciate it.” Owen said as Jason shook his head when he smiled at Buck before he walked out so Owen could talk to Buck who looked scared as he tried to make himself as far away from Owen as he could while he held his hands to his head about to pull his hair out and kept saying ‘sorry, I’ll do better!’ Owen sat next to Buck when he didn’t want to make him even more upset “hey Evan, your ok I’m not mad at you buddy, if you can hear my voice please grab my hand.” Owen said when he placed his hand out when it took a while but Buck finally took his uncle’s hand when Owen smiled at him “good job buddy, thank you for trusting me.” Owen said as Buck shook his head “sorry...... bout .........hands.” Buck told his uncle with heavy breathing when Owen didn’t care about Buck’s hand at the moment he cared about Buck when he needed to calm him down so he didn’t go into a panic attack and pass out. 

Buck stayed in the bunk room for most of the day when Jason came to get him and see if he wanted to help make lunch “hey buddy it’s almost lunch time do you want to come help or just stay in here?” Jason asked when Buck looked up “If Uncle Owen says it’s ok then I’ll come help.” Buck said as Jason shook his head when Owen heard this as he walked in “you don’t need my permission to help anyone buddy, I trust these people with TK’s life and that includes you also.” Owen said when Buck shook his head as he walked to the kitchen as Jason smiled at him when they washed their hands before they started lunch as Buck seemed less stressed but still had his walls up when Owen smiled at him when he knew that Buck was trying his best and it would take time. Buck ate a little more today at lunch when Owen smiled at him as Buck still didn’t eat enough for his age but Owen was happy to see Buck atlas eating something “can I be done Uncle Owen?” Buck asked when Owen looked at Buck’s plate as he smiled at him and shook his head “you did good buddy, I’m proud of you for trying.” Owen said as Buck didn’t look up as he’s never had anyone tell him that they are proud of him “you lying.” Buck said as Owen sighed before he got up and walked over to his nephew when he crouched down next to Buck “I’m proud of you Evan because I know it’s hard for you to eat a lot of food so I’m proud of you to eat let alone eat in front of people.” Owen said as Buck had tears in his eyes while Owen hugged him when the last 24 hours have been very hard for him as Owen and TK have shown him so much love then he’s used to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I went all the way back to the early 2000’s without streaming services and Netflix’s came in the mail! 😬


	3. CPS appointment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buck goes to the CPS office to talk to his case manager about building his case 
> 
> Buck things back to a memory of him and TK playing in TK's room one summer day.

TK took the bus to the fire station when the bus driver watched TK make it into the building before he drives away when he walked in as Jason smiled at him “hey buddy how was your day?” Jason asked when TK placed his backpack on the counter before he got himself a snack and one of his Gatorades “good, is my dad still here or is he on a call?” TK asked when he sat down and pulled out his homework “he’s in his office, Buck is in the bunk room if you want to go see him before you do your homework.” Jason said as TK shook his head when he ran off to see his dad and cousin when TK headed upstairs as he went to see his dad first as TK knocked on Owen’s door when Owen said to come in as TK did when Owen smiled at him “hey buddy how was school?” Owen asked when TK ran into the office and hugged his dad “good, I have Buck’s school work from today, his teacher is going to give Buck as much time as he needs to get it done.” TK said when Owen shook his head “daddy has a lot of paperwork to do because after lunch we had a huge fire that took a while to put out, so we might be a little late getting home.” Owen said when TK shook his head when he smiled as he told his dad he would go check on Buck when Owen told him that he loves him before TK ran off and headed to the bunk room when TK saw Buck asleep so he just walked into the kitchen and did his homework.

After TK was done with his homework he went to hangout with Buck in the bunk room as they watched movies till Owen called them to dinner as TK held Buck’s hand as they walked to the kitchen when Owen smiled at them as they sat at the table when Owen served them dinner as Owen asked about TK’s day while Buck was pushing his food around his plate and taking very little bites when everyone looked at him till TK looked at his dad as TK told everyone about the new school play “it’s open to everyone and I know a few of my friends are going to try out or do the stage crew.” TK told the crew who smiled at him “what play are they doing?” Owen asked as Buck stopped eating “Hansel and Gretel.” TK said as he grabbed the flyer from his backpack as he showed his dad who smiled at him “is Buck going to try out also” Jason asked when Buck looked up as he didn’t say till he looked at his plate again “if he wants to he can, it’s up to Buck.” Owen said when he smiled at his nephew “daddy thinks that plays make you a wossy.” BUck said as everyone looked at him “well you're not living with your daddy, you're living with your uncle Owen.” Bryan said when Owen looked at him when he wasn’t happy with what his crew member said “why don’t we talk about it when we get home buddy.” Owen told Buck who looked at TK. 

Owen took the boys home when they took a shower with Buck going first then TK as Owen sat on TK’s bed with Buck next to him “do I have to do the play?” Buck asked when Owen looked at him “no Bucky, you don’t need to do anything that you don’t want to do.” Owen said as Buck shook his head as TK walked into the room with his PJ’s on as Owen smiled at his son who climbed into his bed as Owen tucked them in before he read to them as Buck fell asleep before Owen finished the story “night baby, daddy loves you.” Owen said when TK smiled at him “night daddy.” TK said as Owen kissed his head before he walked out the room and headed to the living room when he was working on paperwork for Buck’s case when he was writing down any time Buck was anxious, didn’t eat or had a panic attack. 

Two days later 

Owen was in his office writing some paperwork with Buck asleep on the couch as Owen smiled at him when he got a phone call from CPS “Owen speaking.” Owen said as he heard the news as Owen shook his head when he looked at Buck “I'll bring him down during lunch.” Owen said when Buck was half asleep “uncle Owen?” Buck asked when Owen opened his arms to Buck who walked over to him when Owen placed Buck in his lap “what’s going on?” Buck asked when Owen smiled at him and rubbed his hair “they need you to come down and tell your case manager everything your parents did so they can build a case.” Owen said as Buck looked tense as Owen rubbed his hair when Buck was shaking as his uncle calmed him down “I don’t want to see them!” Buck cried as his uncle shook his head “you won’t baby, your parents are in jail where they belong so they can’t see you or touch you.” Owen said when Buck shook his head as he sucked his thumb. 

Owen took Buck to the CPS building as he held Buck’s hand when they walked inside as Buck was scared as his uncle rubbed his back and hair when they checked in before they sat down when Buck didn’t like the smell of the place when it remind him of a hospital room when they saw a middle age women walking towards them “Evan, I’m Mrs.Sarah,I’m your case manager.” Buck shook her hand as he looked at Owen “I'll be right here once you are done buddy.” Owen said when BUck shook his head as he walked into the back room as Owen hated that he couldn’t go with Buck while he was being interviewed so he hoped and prayed that Buck wouldn't have a panic attack over a question he was asked. 

45 minutes later  
Buck came out with tears running down his face when Owen stood up and met Buck halfway as he lifted him up and held him while he rubbed his back and comforted him “shh, your ok baby, your ok.” Owen said as Buck placed his face in his uncle’s shirt when Sarah walked over to them as Buck didn’t look at her when Owen talked to Sarah about Buck “he’s very trigard about certain topics and shut down after a while, I tried to get him to draw me a picture but all he drew was blood and him on the floor.” Owen looked at Buck when he moved his hair out of the way as he kissed his head “thank you for your time and bringing Evan down.” Sarah said as she smiled at Buck when she shook Owen’s hand “can you say bye Bucky?” Owen asked when Buck waved when Owen carried him to the car as they headed back to the fire station as Owen picked up some lunch for Buck and himself.

Buck was very clingy after his appointment when Owen needed to do his job also as he brought Buck along on calls when Buck stayed in the rig while his uncle gave commands when Buck was very intrigued with his uncle’s job when he and TK always talked about working with Owen when they get older “just think TK, us working alongside your daddy and putting out fires and helping people.” Buck told TK when they were in TK’s room one summer day playing with TK’s fire trucks and putting out fake fires that were made out of craft paper while wearing plastic firefighter hats that they keep at the station for when they go to town events and has a booth as the boys were very creative with their art projects “I’ll be firefighter Strand and you will be firefighter Buckley.” TK told his cousin when Owen was smiling at them “what would I be?” Owen asked when he joined in and played with the boys “Caption Strand daddy.” TK told his dad who smiled at him “would you two like to help your caption make dinner?” Owen asked when the boys said yes as they cleaned up before they headed to the kitchen and helped Owen make dinner when tomorrow is their last full day with Buck staying with them before he has to go back to his parent's apartment.


	4. Buck goes back to school

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buck goes back to school today. How will he do? Will he have to come home early or will he make it through the whole day? 
> 
> Buck and Owen has a heart to heart about feelings.

Today is Buck’s first day back at school when Owen has today off so if Buck needed to come home he can go and get him. Owen made the boys a breakfast “are we buying lunch today or am I packing a lunch for you boys?” Owen asked when TK smiled at them “I want hot lunch please daddy.” TK said when Owen shook his head “what about you bubba?” Owen asked Buck to look at him when he was scared to go back to school when TK looked at him when Buck shrugged “I can make you a lunch buddy or I can give you some money to buy hot lunch.” Owen told Buck “hot lunch please.” Buck said when Owen said ok when he handed Buck and TK $5 “put the extra money on your school account.” Owen told the boys who shook their heads when they got their shoes on before they headed out to the car when the boys got into the back seat and buckled up when Owen smiled at them as they made their way to the school. 

Owen took the boys to their classroom when Owen needed to talk to Buck’s teacher about Buck “please call me if you have any questions or Buck is having a hard day. I want to know these things so I can keep a record for his court file.” Owen said when Buck’s teacher Mrs.Apple shook her head “of course Owen, I want to help Buck as much as you do, Buck is a great kid and I want to help him just as much as you do. He belongs in an adults care where he can get the help that he needs.” Mrs.Apple said when Owen smiled at her when Buck looked scared “TK do you want me to walk you to your classroom or are you going to stay with Buck?” Owen asked when TK looked at him dad “I’ll stay dad, Buck needs me.” TK said as Owen shook his head when he walked over to his boys and kissed their heads before he walked to his car and headed home. 

Halfway through the school day Buck was having a hard time so Mrs.Apple called Owen to see if he could pick Buck up when they rather Buck stay in school but Buck is having a hard day at school so they thought it would be better if Buck went home “I’ll be right there just till Buck to stay in his classroom and don’t let him go to specials.” Owen said as Mars.Apple said ok when she wrote Owen a note for Buck’s file. 

Owen went to pick up Buck from school when he walked into the office and got a pass before he walked down to the fifth grade classrooms when he heard his nephew talking to his teacher “why am I going home?” Buck asked when he sounded upset “because buddy you are tired and need to go home and take a break so that’s why you are going home.” Mrs.Apple said when Owen walked in as Buck ran to his uncle with tears in his eyes who hugged him “shh it’s ok buddy, we can go home and hangout on the couch.” Owen told Buck when he looked at Buck’s teacher “how was Buck today!” Owen asked when Mrs.Apple told Owen all about Buck’s day when Owen shook his head when Buck grabbed his backpack and headed out the door with his uncle right behind him when they headed down to the office when Owen signed Buck out of school and took him to the car when Buck got in the back seat and buckled up “are you hungry?” Owen asked when Buck shook his head when he didn’t really eat his lunch so Owen picked Buck some lunch from his favorite hole in the wall place “do you want your usaral?” Owen asked when Buck shook his head when Owen got Buck his chicken tacos meal and a soda before they headed back to the apartment. 

Buck took a nap on the couch after he ate his lunch when Owen needed to pick TK up from school but he didn’t want to leave Buck on his own when Owen went to one of his neighbors to see if they can sit with Buck till Owen got back “it will only be half an hour tops all I need to do is get TK from school.” Owen said when this sweet mom and her 12 month old baby came over and sat with Buck “don’t worry Owen we’ll sit with Buck till you get back home.” Kris said when Owen shook his head when he grabbed his keys and headed to his car when he drove to get his son from school. 

Owen and TK came home when Buck was sitting on the couch watching TV with baby Sasha in his lap when Buck has a caring side which always comes out when he’s around babies and other kids “how was he?” Owen asked when he was worried about his nephew “he was a little scared when he first woke up but Sasha came up to Buck and held her in his lap so he was better.” Kris told Owen who shook his head when he smiled at his nephew when TK sat on the couch when Sasha smiled at TK who took the baby in his lap. 

Sasha and Kris stayed for a few more minutes before they headed back home “how do you feel after your nap?” Owen asked when Buck shrugged as he felt ok but he still felt tired and couldn’t explain his feelings when he was taught to hide his emotions instead of telling how he feels when his parents didn’t care so why should anyone else care “hey TK why don’t you go do your homework in your room while Buck and I have a chat.” Owen said when TK said ok when he went to his room. 

Owen sat on the couch next to his nephew when Buck looked scared when Owen knew he needed to make sure his tone wasn’t too short otherwise Buck would shut down “do you know why I asked TK to go to his room?” Owen asked when Buck shrugged “so he isn’t a witness of the beating I’m about to get?” Buck asked when Owen looked at him “what!? Buck I’m not going to lay a hand on you.” Owen said when Buck was covering his ears and slowly rocking back and forth as Owen was watching his nephew having a panic attack when Owen did his best to calm Buck down “Evan if you can hear my voice take my hand.” Owen said when he waited for Buck to respond when it took a while but Buck finally came around and took his uncle's hand when Owen squeezed it when “thank you baby.” Owen said when he never liked watching his kids be in a stressful situation when he can’t do anything to help them out when he just needs to be there for them. 

Buck made his way over to his uncle when he placed his head in Owen’s lap when Owen smiled at him and kissed his head “I’m going to ask you again, how are you doing?” Owen asked when Buck shrugged “no one asked me that before so I don’t know how to answer.” Buck said when Owen shook his head “I’m going to help you express your feelings so when I ask you that question you can tell me how you are feeling.” Owen said when Buck shook his head when Owen cuddled his nephew when TK came out of his room and joined his dad and cousin.


	5. Six months later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This whole chapter is a time jump to six months later when Owen gets some exciting news but is worried about the boys and how they would react. 
> 
> Buck gets some very exciting news and something amazing happens that Buck can finally be a kid.

Buck and TK are playing in their room when they hear Owen on the phone talking to someone “we are so close to get Buck’s adoptions finalized I don’t want to do anything to set us back.” Owen said when Buck felt bad when his uncle was upset with him as he was making their lives differently as always so Buck did the logical thing that he could think of and planes to run away when Buck was mid packing when Owen came to check on the boys since they were quiet when TK was listing in to his iPod while reading one of his Harry Potter books and Buck was packing a suitcase “what are you doing buddy?” Owen asked when Buck looked at him “running away.” Buck told his uncle when Owen shook his head before he stopped Buck from packing as he took Buck to his room when they sat down on the bed “why are you running away from home?” Owen asked when Buck shrugged “you said that my adoption was making life difficult so I thought I would run away so that you and TK could enjoy your life before me.” Buck told Owen when he held him closer to his chest “oh baby, I didn’t mean it that way, I got a call from a fire station in Austin who asked me to come and take over the station.” Owen said when he would do anything for his kids even if Buck thinks he wouldn’t as Buck still has those days when he just cries and has a mental breakdown before he gets ready for school so Owen just takes Buck to work with him if he’s working or if he’s off he keeps Buck home and they just cuddle and watch Buck's favorite movies and has Buck’s favorite dinner. 

After Owen and Buck talked for a while Buck felt better when Owen hugged and kissed his head “I’ll call your case manager and see if we can get your file moved to Austin.” Owen said when Buck shook his head when a fresh start in a new city would be nice for him as living in NYC hasn’t been easy for Buck because certain sounds or smells trig Buck so hopefully when they move to Austin and get buck into a new therapist Buck can finally be a kid as the last 7 months hasn’t been easy for anyone in the family when Buck was almost placed in the psychological ward after an incident at school but Owen said that he’ll keep an eye on Buck and if is still having any issues then he’ll personally take Buck to the hospital and get him admitted but Buck calmed down and told Owen what trigard his reaction when Owen shook his head “your parents can’t hurt you buddy, they are in jail.” Owen said as Buck shook his head when he thought he saw them and that’s why he reacted like he did. 

Owen asked TK if he was ok to move when TK shook his head “New York is nice but I think a change will be better for everyone.” TK said when Owen called the chief back and told him that he was ok to move to Austin with his sons then Owen called Buck’s case manager to tell her the news when Owen got a surprise “Buck can travel without a judge's signature?” Owen asked when he smiled at his nephew who was standing on the couch when Owen walked over to Buck and hugged him before Owen got off the phone “Buck, we are so close to getting an adoption date!” Owen said when TK got up and attacked hugged his cousin when Buck smiled at them when he felt more love the last few months then he has his whole entire life when Owen held Buck in his arms and hugged him so tightly that Buck thought he was going to do pop. 

One month later 

Today is the day that Buck’s adoption is being finalized when Owen took Buck to get a new outfit and a haircut so he looked nice for his adoption when Buck smiled at Owen with the biggest smile on his face that Owen has ever seen when the boys stayed home from school when their appointment is right in the middle of the school day and after they are done at the courthouse Owen is going to take the boys out to celebrate. 

Owen was doing Buck’s hair when he put some gel in it and spiked it up in the front before Owen helped TK do his hair when the boys looked so handsome when Buck was wearing a navy blue dress shirt with tan pants and his dress shoes when he wanted to look his best while TK was wearing a yellow dress shirt with black pants and his black dress shoes “ok stand next to each other so I can take your picture.” Owen told the boys when he was holding the camera when he took some photos of his sons together and some of just Buck when TK even took some of just Buck and Owen when Buck looked so happy when Owen kissed his boy’s heads before they headed to the car and drove to the courthouse when TK was already making plans for what he wanted to do when Buck officials becomes his brother. 

Owen and the boys waited for their appointments when Buck was sitting with TK on the bench when a few of their closest friends came to help watch Buck become adopted when Buck was a little shy around a lot of people but TK and Owen did their best to help him threw it “The family of Evan Buckley-Strand?” Buck smiled at his uncle when they walked into the the courtroom when Owen and the boys sat at the table while everyone else sat in the rows when Owen could see Buck was scared that everything was going to fall apart at the last minute so Owen grabbed him hand and gave it a slight squeeze “are you excited to be adopted by your uncle?” The judge Jude asked when Buck shook his head as Owen smiled at him “Owen and Tyler are you two excited about Evan joining your family?” Jude asked when Owen and TK said yes when they talked some more because Owen started signing all the paperwork so Buck can be adopted. 

After what seemed like a pile of paperwork Owen signed the last paper when he smiled at Buck “look like all the papers are in order so I head by announcing the adoption of Evan James Buckley-Strand!” Jude said when everyone cheered as Owen hugged Buck when he was crying happy tears when Owen and the boys went to go get their pictures taken with the judge as Owen had the boys on each side of him with Buck on his left TK on his right side. Buck had a huge smile on his face.

Owen took the boys back to the apartment when they got changed out of their formal wear and into jeans, a shirt when Owen bought a small cake for after dinner when Owen bought Buck a small present to celebrate Buck’s new adoption date. 

Buck and TK were on the couch playing the Xbox when Buck looked tired so he lied down on the couch when he watched his older cousin play his game when Owen smiled at his son when he knew that Buck has been very stressed the last few days leading up to the adoption when Owen placed a blanket on Buck when he kissed his head “take a nap if you want to Buck, we’re still going to be here when you wake up.” Owen said when Buck shook his head as he sucked his thumb.

Buck woke up from his nap when he saw his cousin standing in timeout when Buck knew that TK was a very chill kid and only had to stand in timeout when he did something that would make either Owen upset or TK just needed some time to think about his behavior or attitude when Buck looked around when he said his uncle who smiled at him “TK got mad at his game so I told him that he needed to take a break and find something else to do but TK threw a fit so that’s why he’s in timeout.” Owen told Buck who shook his head when he got up and walked over to his uncle who smiled at him when Buck wanted up when Owen did his best to hold his nephew who has gained a lot of weight since he’s eating more food “love you buddy.” Owen said when Buck wrapped his arms around his uncle’s neck when Owen kissed his head. 

After TK was done in his timeout he felt better and walked over to his dad and said sorry when Owen told him it was ok when he smiled at Buck who was drawing at the counter when TK joined his cousin when Buck handed TK a piece of paper then moved the box of markers over so they were in the middle of the boys while Owen made dinner as tonight Owen made Buck his favorite meal and then they are going to watch Buck’s favorite movie before they have cake and Buck opens his present. 

Buck was excited when Owen placed chicken tacos on the table with all the sides and fixings when the boys built their tacos when Owen got the boys soda cans to drink when Buck looked so happy when Owen took pictures of the boys together “here is our newest member of the family Evan James Buckley-Strand!” Owen said as the boys cheered with their cans “thank you uncle Owen for taking me in and loving me like a daddy should.” Buck said as Owen smiled at Buck when he kissed his head “your welcome buddy, I’m always going to be here for you no matter how old you become.” Owen said when Buck smiled at his uncle when they finished dinner before the boys got ready for bed when they got changed into their PJ’s before they grabbed their blankets before they headed to the living room where Owen was setting up the DVD player and put in Buck’s favorite movie “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's stone.” Buck smiled when TK placed a hand on Buck’s arm when they sat down on the couch when Owen joined them when Buck curled into his uncle's side when Owen smiled at his nephew when he kissed his head. 

Moving to Texas 

It’s been a week since Buck has been adopted when their lives are crazy now with the move to Austin when Owen wanted to get Buck’s adoption finalized before they moved when the kids were packing their suitcases for the plane ride when the boys packed a backpack for the ride as Owen told them to pack their stuffed animals and a blanket since planes can be cold along with some snacks that they want along with an empty water bottle that they can fill at the airport when they are waiting for their plane. 

Moving day 

The movers came yesterday and took all the furniture that they were taking with them when Owen was going to leave a lot of larger furniture as he wanted to get both the boys a new bed when the boys are still going to be sharing a room as Owen bought them a bunk bed two dressers and a few desks to keep in the boys room so they have a place to do their homework. 

Owen woke up the boys extra early when they had a flight to catch at 7:30 when Owen carried Buck to the couch before he went and got TK out of bed when he carried TK and placed him next to his cousin when Owen placed the boys shoes next to them when TK placed his shoes on his feet while Buck was lying down on the couch when Owen smiled at him “We can sleep on the plane boys.” Owen said when he helped Buck sit up when Buck put his shoes on when the boys grabbed their backpacks when Owen put the boys suitcases in the car while the boys got into the car. 

Once they got to the airport the boys rolled their suitcases behind them when they headed to the ticket counter when Owen checked everyone in as Buck was still half asleep when Owen smiled at him when Owen got their tickets as they headed to security as Owen took his shoes off when the boys didn’t have to because they were under the age of 12. After they got to their gate Owen told the boys that they could get something to eat when Buck almost fell back asleep “come on son when we get on the plane you can take a nap.” Owen told Buck who shook his head when they got something from McDonald’s when Owen got himself a coffee as he can tell today is going to be long day if Buck or TK doesn’t take a nap as they are already going to be losing sleep because of the time zone change. 

Owen carried Buck onto the plane when Owen placed Buck in the middle seat and buckled him in before Owen placed a blanket on Buck when TK was sitting in the window seat and Owen in the aisle “you baby your son so much he looks older enough to do things on his own.” One of the passenger’s said when Owen looked at him when he calmly said “sir that is my nephew I just adopted him and we are moving to a new state. He had some trauma issues that we are working with him so if I need to baby him a little more than my son I will because I don’t want my sons to grow up thinking that they can’t express their feelings and come to me if they have a problem.” Owen said when the man shut up and went back to his book when TK smiled at his dad when Buck was in a deep sleep and sucking his thumb while leaning against Owen. 

Buck was still asleep when they were 15 minutes away from Austin when TK smiled at his dad when TK was holding his stuffed goat they when to the zoo the boys got to pick out any stuffed animal they they wanted as TK picked the goat that he names Billy and Buck got a penguin that he names Guppy “dad?” TK asked when Owen smiled at his son “yeah buddy?” Owen asked when TK pointed to Buck who was stressed sleeping when Owen just rubbed Buck’s back “your ok baby, uncle Owen is here.” Owen said when Buck opened his eyes and looked at his uncle “you took a very long nap buddy how do you feel?” Owen asked when Buck rubbed his face when he gave a thumbs up before he placed his head on his uncle’s shoulder when Buck sucked his thumb. 

Once they landed in Austin the boy collected their backpacks and blanket when Owen helped make sure the boys had everything that they brought on the plane and made sure their trash was cleaned up before they got off the plane when headed to the bathrooms before they went to get their suitcases and head to the hotel to drop of their backpacks and suitcases when Owen was going to take the boys to look at houses and out to lunch before they come back to the hotel when Owen needs to do a lot of work since he’s rebuilding a new fire station. 

Owen got the boys settled into the hotel room when they were watching TV when Owen was working on paperwork “dad I’m hungry.” TK said when Owen smiled at his son “it’s almost time to go look at houses then we can go out to lunch.” Owen told TK when TK shook his head when Buck looked at his uncle when the boys got their shoes on before they headed out the door when Owen called a taxi as the boys got in the back when Owen made sure that the boys were safe as he gave the addresses to the first house they would look at. 

Owen and the boys headed to five different houses today when Owen narrowed it down to three places when Buck and TK gave their own personal opinions about certain places when the boys wanted a backyard and live near a park so they could go play with other kids their own age. Owen was looking at four bedroom houses when he wanted a bedroom for each of his kids just in case when they get older they can have their own room and a guest room. 

After they looked at houses Owen took the boys to get some lunch before they headed to the store and picked up a few things to keep in the hotel room in the fridge and cabinets when each of the boys got their favorite snacks and drinks so they had a little bit of feeling at home till they got into their new house and could make it their own when Owen was going to let the boys decorate their room with whatever theme they wanted “so we can do an half and half theme room?” TK asked when Owen shook his head “you can have Averages and Buck can have any theme he wanted.” Owen told the boys. 

A few weeks later 

Owen and the boys moved into their new house when Owen enrolled the boys into the local school when he made sure they both his boys were in the same classroom to help the boys both adjust to their classroom but Owen was very worried about Buck since he’s still very shy and is talking to anyone besides Owen and TK when Owen had explained his to the school a little bit about Buck and his past when the school was very understanding and be will to help Owen and the boys with whatever they need when Buck goes once a week to talk to the school psychologist when Owen thought it would be a good idea for Buck to talk to someone till he can get the boys into a therapist. 

Owen came to pick up the boys from school when Buck was still his shy self and TK seemed to be making friends almost every day “why does your brother not talk?” One of the boys' classmates asked when TK smiled at Buck “it’s a long story but Buck can talk he just chooses not to.” TK told his friends “I think it’s weird.” Someone said “I think that you shouldn’t be my friend if you can’t understand why my brother is the way that he is so unless you want to get to know why my brother isn’t saying something because Buck is so strong and we don’t need anyone’s pity.” TK said when he saw his dad’s car in the carline “come on Buck, dad is here and we can go home and play with your legos.” TK said when Buck shook his head when they headed to the car as the boys got into the back seat and buckled up “so who was that you were talking to?” Owen asked when he saw the whole thing “just some idiot who thinks Buck is weird.” TK told his dad when Owen shook his head “I am.” Buck told his uncle and cousin “no you are not Bucky, we’re just working on your feelings and how to act around new people.” Owen said when he wished he got Buck at a much younger age so he could work with him without all the negative things that his parents put him through. 

Owen took the boys home when they did their homework before they went out to dinner when Buck was very talkative but stopped once they got to the restaurant when Owen sighed when he knew he was doing the right thing and Buck was getting better but he just wished that Buck would make some friends when he knew it would help him feel better about being around people “daddy?” TK asked when Owen smiled at his son “yeah TK?” Owen asked when TK pointed to a little boy who goes to their school “I know him!” TK said when Owen looked at the little boy “oh yeah what’s his name?” Owen asked when TK smiled “Carlos!” TK said when Owen smiled at his son “he’s nice.” Buck told his uncle when Owen smiled at Buck when he was glad that his nephew knew that someone was nice when TK wanted to say hi to Carlos but Owen told him to wait when Owen told the hostess how many they needed when they went to go sit down as TK was holding the buzzer. 

TK went over to talk to Carlos who smiled at him when they become fast friends when TK stayed with his uncle when Carlos smiled and waved at TK “do you want to go over and talk to Carlos?” Owen asked when Buck said no as he stayed with his uncle till their name got called when they went to the table as the boys got kids menus when Buck was very shy when Owen was working on having Buck order his own drink and food “do you know what you want buddy?” Owen asked when he was helping the boys with the menus when Buck circled everything that he wanted so he didn’t have to talk to the waitress “so you want chicken fingers, fries and coke?” Owen asked when Buck shook his head when Owen said ok when TK orders his own food “what do you want buddy?” The waitress asked when TK showed the menu as the waitress smiled and wrote it down as Owen knew that one day Buck would talk when they were out in public but him showing the menus was a start. 

After the family finished with dinner Owen took the boys home when they got ready for bed when it’s Friday and the boys have to go to work with Owen when he still doesn’t have a nanny for the boys and the boys don’t mind when they like the new fire station when it was more spaces then the old one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that I spend up Buck’s adoptions but I figured that everyone having a fresh start in a new city would be good for everyone.


	6. Bonus kid!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Owen takes on a bonus kid when the boys bring home one of their friends from school.

Buck was still very shy but he was slowly making friends and one boy that he made friends with was Mateo, Mateo was in the boys classroom and just like Buck very shy but he seemed to talk to Buck and TK when they were very glad to be friends with Mateo “do you want to come over to our house once we’re all moved in?” Buck asked one day when Mateo shook his head when TK was very proud of his brother for putting himself out there and making friends “hey TK and Buck you don’t want to be friends with Mateo.” One of their classmates said when TK and Buck looked at him “it’s not like I want to be friends with you either but you keep pushing yourself onto me.” TK said when Buck shook his head when Buck was going to protect Mateo from the mean boy. 

Owen let the boys take the bus home from school when Owen was unpacking the house when he wanted to give the boys some more independent and taking the bus home felt like a huge step for Owen since TK has taken the bus back in New York when Owen was working but Buck hasn’t when he was always picked up from school. 

Owen saw the bus coming down the street when he waited at the front door when Owen saw his boys get off the bus and come running to him “hey boys how was school!” Owen asked when Owen saw another little boy coming to their house “good this is Mateo! He’s in our class!” Buck told Owen “it’s nice to meet you buddy, where do you live?” Owen asked when Mateo shrugged his shoulder “Mateo is just like Buck.” TK told his dad when they all headed inside “what do you mean TK?” Owen asked when the boys were at the kitchen table “he’s shy and also being picked on so he came home with us.” TK told his dad “you can’t kidnap someone from your class because they are being picked on buddy.” Owen told TK “I’m going to call his parents so they know that he’s ok.” Owen said when Mateo spoke up first “no! Please don’t they wouldn’t care if I’m home anyway!” Mateo said when Owen looked at him as he saw the same look in Mateo’s eyes that he was in Buck’s eyes when Owen first brought Buck home “hey boys can you please go play in your room while I talk to Mateo?” Owen asked when the boys said ok as they went to their room when Owen sat down next to Mateo and looked to him as he knew what was going on at home he’s seen if with his own son but with a lot of love and help Buck has made great strides in his progress. 

Owen got on the phone and called Mateo’s parents just to let them know that Mateo is safe and can stay for dinner and that Owen would bring him home “just keep him, he’s nothing but troubles.” Mateo’s dad said when Owen was shocked as he never thought someone would say something about their own kid but maybe they were right Owen didn’t know Mateo that well but he knew where someone needed help and Mateo needed help “you can spend the night buddy I think I have some clothes that will fit you.” Owen said when Mateo shook his head when he looked scared as Owen watched him carefully “do you want to go play with the boys? They are in their room.” Owen said when Mateo shook his head when he went to the stairs but stopped “the first door on the left is the boys room.” Owen said with a smile when Mateo went upstairs to go play with his new friends. 

Owen and the boys had dinner when TK and Buck talked about their day “someone was picking on Mateo and tell us not to be his friend but TK went after them and told them off.” Buck said when Owen looked at his son “what did you tell this person?” Owen asked when TK told his dad what he said “that’s nothing, TK can go off when he wants to. It sounded like this person wasn’t being nice and tried to make Mateo seem like the bad guy instead of the sweet boy that he is.” Owen said when he smiled at Mateo who was eating his dinner when Mateo hasn’t eaten in a few days since he’s been going from house to house and he normally leaves in the middle of the night so no one could get attached to Mateo. 

After dinner the boys watched some tv before they got ready for bed when all the boys took a shower when Owen went to find some clothes for Mateo when Mateo was very skinny for his age so Owen found one of TK’s old PJ sets from a few years ago at fit Mateo perfectly when all the boys did their reading when Mateo slept in TK’s bed and TK and Buck shared a bed when Mateo was so tired that he fell straight asleep before Owen could come say good night to his boys. 

Owen got up for work when all the boys were still asleep so Owen went to wake them up so they could get ready for school “boys it’s time to wake up.” Owen said when all the boys looked at him when Buck placed the covers over his head when Owen smiled at him “come on buddy I know that you are not a morning person but you need to get ready for school.” Owen said when Buck shook his head when he got off of bed and went to the closet and grabbed an outfit before he went to the bathroom and got changed before he headed to the kitchen and made himself some breakfast when Owen and the other boys came downstairs “what are you making buddy?” Owen asked when Buck smiled at him “pancake on a stick.” Buck said when Owen shook his head when Mateo looked tired as TK got everyone something to drink before he joined his brother and friend at the counter. 

After breakfast all the boys brushed their teeth before they got their shoes on before they went to the car and got into the back seat when Owen made sure all the boys had lunch money “Mateo are you going to come to the house again?” Owen asked when Mateo didn’t know as Owen didn’t want to put pressure on the young boy “if you want to you can buddy I’ll always have a bed ready for you.” Owen said when they got to school as the boys got out of the car “don’t forget backpacks.” Owen said when the boys got their backpacks and headed to the school “thank you dad!” TK said when he closed the door as he joined his brother and friend. 

When Owen got to work Owen went to his office and was thinking about Mateo “you have that look on your face.” Eric said when Owen looked up “the boys brought home one of their friends and I called him parents to let them know that their son is safe but the dad didn’t seem to care that his son wasn’t home so this kid just spend the night with me and I invited him to spend the night again if he chooses to.” Owen said when Eric shook his head “what are you going to do? Are you going to try to get their friend into your house?” Eric asked when Owen shrugged “I don’t have enough evidence like I did with Buck, it took me years to get Buck into my house then adopt him.” Owen said when he felt for Mateo when he can’t fully tell that Mateo is in a dangerous house but he can see the same look in Mateo’s eyes that was in Buck’s eyes. 

Owen called the local child services office to see if they have a case on Mateo and it was very lengthy when Mateo has been in and out of foster care for years ever since he was 3 “if I get my foster care license transferred from New York could I foster Mateo?” Owen asked when Mateo’s case manager talked to Owen for a while “I have to do a home study to see if Mateo can be placed in your care.” Owen said ok when he was worried but also excited when he just met Mateo and would do anything to protect him. 

After school! 

All the boys came to the fire station when Mateo looked disshuvales when Owen saw this “who did this to you?” Owen asked when Mateo shrugged “I saw the whole thing.” Buck told Owen when they headed inside “it was the same kid who was mean to him yesterday.” TK said when he grabbed snacks before he went to the couch when he turned the tv on “I have a chance of clothes in my office.” Owen said when he took Mateo upstairs when he handed the clothes over when Mateo was swimming in the back up clothes so Owen did his best when he rolled up the pant legs and did his best to tie the shirt so it would fit Mateo better. 

By the end of the day Owen had decided that Mateo will be the bonus kid in his house the kid that’s always over and spends the night from time to time just till they can get a home study done so Owen can foster Mateo since Mateo’s parents don’t really care about him and Owen is slowly seeing some things he isn’t like like certain marks on Mateo and certain motions make Mateo flinch.


	7. Mateo gets tested for dyslexia!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Owen gets Mateo tested after he watched Mateo struggle with his homework.

Mateo gets tested for dyslexia. 

Mateo has been living with Owen and the boys for a few weeks now and Owen has seen a huge difference in Mateo when he’s gaining weight and looks so much happier but Owen has been watching the boys doing their homework and saw it took Mateo longer than Buck and TK “dad were going to go to the park and play with our friends.” TK said when he was holding his skateboard and helmet “be safe and when Mateo is done with his homework he can join you guys.” Owen said when TK and Buck shook their heads when they headed to the park down the street. 

Mateo stayed with Owen when Mateo was still doing his math worksheet and he had to do his reading log “this is too much!” Mateo said when he was frustrated with his homework and almost threw it on the floor but Owen stopped him “come on buddy I can help you.” Owen said when he sat down with Mateo when they took their time when Mateo looked tired when Owen smiled at Mateo when he knew that it was a lot to take in but Mateo didn’t give up and got his homework done “good job buddy!” Owen said when he gave Mateo a high five “do you want to go play at the park?” Owen asked when Mateo said no when he wanted to go take a nap “I’m going to write a note and place it in your homework folder.” Owen said when Mateo shook his head when he went to his room and got into his bed when he fell asleep. 

Buck and TK came home from the park when TK placed his skateboard and helmet in the garage before they headed inside when Owen smiled at his boys “how was the park?” Owen asked when the boys got something to drink “good, I learned a new trick on my skateboard.” TK said when Owen smiled at his son “that’s cool buddy, what did you do Buck?” Owen asked his nephew “I played on the playground with Jude and Michal.” Buck said when Owen smiled “where is T? He was going to meet us at the park.” TK said when Owen smiled at his son “T fell asleep after he finished his homework because it stressed him out so much. I think he has a learning disability.” Owen said when he was looking up different learning disabilities for his bonus kid. 

Mateo slept through dinner when Owen saved his plate and placed it in the oven for when Mateo wakes up as the boys are in their game room in the loft when Owen turned the upstairs extra space into a playroom for the boys complete with a couch that turns into a pullout bed for when the boys has a sleepover and a game system along with a projector that the boys can play on the wall. 

Mateo woke up when he walked into the playroom when the boys smiled at him when Mateo sat on the couch next to Buck when Owen heard all his boys up so he went to go check on them when he smiled at his bonus kid “hey buddy are you hungry? I saved dinner for you if you're hungry.” Owen said when Mateo shook his head when Mateo went downstairs and sat at the table when Owen got Mateo his dinner “what do you want to drink?” Owen asked when Mateo looked up “water please.” Mateo said when Owen shook his head when he got Mateo a cup of water when he sat with Mateo at the table so he wasn’t alone. 

After Mateo finished his dinner Owen let Mateo go play upstairs with the boys before they go to bed since tomorrow the boys has a half day so they will come to the 126 around lunch time “so you boys will go to school but lunch is at 11 am so when you boys come to the fire station I’ll have lunch ready for you boys and even if I’m on a call you boys can eat lunch then do your homework then when I’m done with work we can head home.” Owen told the boys “why do we have a half day?” TK asked when Buck shook his head when he looked at his uncle. “parent teacher conference.” Mateo said when he was scared since he isn’t doing so good in school “that’s great buddy I can talk to your teacher!” Owen said when Mateo looked at him “what if my parents show up and give you a hard time?” Mateo asked when Owen smiled at him “I have talked to your teacher about your living situation and she already has me down as your guardian and she’ll talk about your school and I’ll bring up your struggles for school.” Owen said when Buck and Mateo where the two of the boys were struggling in school so Owen emails their teachers a lot just for an update as Buck is doing better in a new school. 

Parent teacher conference 

Buck 

The first kid up was Buck when the boys are at Carlos’ house when Carlos’ mom volunteered to watch the boys so they could have a playdate when Owen will pick them up after he’s done with the conferences.Owen had a list of things to asks about each of the boys so he can get a better understanding of how each of Owen’s boys are doing “Owen it’s so nice to see you again.” Mrs.Davison said when she smiled at Owen as she talked about how Buck is doing in school “Buck has been thrown a lot so I didn’t know how he’s transitioning to a new school.” Owen said when Mrs.Davison smiled at Owen “Buck is so bright he can answer any questions I ask him it’s his social skills I’m worried about, he always picks TK or Mateo when we do group activities.” Mrs.Davison said when Owen shook his head “yeah he’s a very shy kid and his biological parents were not very good at basic things and they didn’t take him to any social events so when I got Buck for the summer he came out of his shell more and bonded with his cousin when TK would take his time with Buck to gain his trust.” Owen said when Mrs.Davison shook her head before they moved on to a few of Buck’s papers when he scored all 100% on when Owen was very proud of his son when Buck didn’t share that he’s been getting 100% on his tests and worksheets. 

TK 

The next kid was TK “TK is a great kid, a little hyper but he isn’t disturbing the class I just have to remind him a few times to focus on his work then he’s good to go, you have raised a great kid.” Owen smiled when he was told in the past to put TK on meds but Owen chose to let his son express himself and they would talk of if things changed they would decide as a team. 

Mateo

Mateo was the last kid to talk about when Owen brought up the homework situation for the other night when Owen explained that Mateo got very frustrated and it took them almost 2 hours to get the homework done that it took Buck and TK half an hour to do “I’ve tried to take to Mateo’s parents about Mateo but they just brush it off as Mateo needs to work harder and not to be lazy.” MrsDavison said when Owen shook his head “well I want to get him the help that he needs so he can succeed in school.” Owen said when they set up a meeting with the school special education teacher so he can do an evaluation on Mateo to see what kind of services he can get to help him in school. 

Owen went to go pick up the boys from Carlos’ house when Owen saw the boys sitting on the porch eating some popsicles when Buck smiled and waved at his uncle when TK also waved at his dad while Mateo didn’t wave as he was to scared of what the outcome was from the parent teacher conference “hey guys!” Owen said when his two boys ran up to Owen who hugged them while Mateo and Carlos stayed on the porch “Mateo come give me a hug buddy.” Owen said when he smiled at Mateo who walked over to him and gave Owen a hug “how was your play date?” Owen asked the boys “good, Carlos has an x-box so we played some games for a while then we went to the backyard and played with his soccer ball since he has practice tonight.” TK told Owen when he smiled at the younger boy “thank you Carlos for letting the boys come over and play with you.” Owen told Carlos with a smile “your welcome caption sir.” Carlos said when he smiled at the boys “Carlos are your friends leaving?” Rosa asked when Carlos shook his head “si mama. They have to go home because their dad is here for them.” Carlos said when Rosa smiled at him “go get ready for your practice baby.” Rosa said when Carlos shook his head when the boys got into the backseat of the car when Owen talked to Rosa “how was my boys? Hopefully they didn’t cause any problems.” Owen said when Rosa smiled at Owen “oh they were darlings, they are always available when they want to come over.” Rosa said when Owen told her thank you when he got into the car when he saw Mateo not in his booster seat “Mateo get in your booster seat buddy.” Owen said when Mateo did before he buckled up. 

Owen took the boys to the store so they can pick up what they need for dinner tonight. “When we get to the store I want everyone to be on their best behavior and don’t ask for any treats or toys.” Owen told the boys when they shook their heads when they got out of the car as Owen smiled at his boys when they all walked inside the store when Owen grabbed a cart when Buck and TK went a little bit ahead of the cart while Mateo stayed with Owen “ok we need fruits and veggies.” Owen said when he smiled at Mateo when Buck and TK grabbed what they needed and Mateo did his best to climb into the cart when Owen smiled at him “do you want any help?” Owen asked when Mateo shook his head as Owen helped Mateo into the cart when he pushed the front panel so Mateo could climb into the cart when Mateo got into the cart and sat criss cross Applesauce while the boys put the food around Mateo. 

Since the boys did such a great job at the store Owen bought the boys a treat when Owen got the boys Starbucks when he got the boys kids fraps when Mateo was still in the cart with the bags all around him when Buck was standing on the back of the cart “all you boys want the same thing or different?” Owen asked when he got himself an ice coffee “yes please.” TK said when Owen got the boys all chocolate chip fraps when he payed with his Starbucks rewards card when he took the cart to the other side of the counter when they waited for their drinks. 

After they got done at the store Owen took the boys home “ok so I meet with your teacher and I have some good news for all you boys.” Owen said when the boys helped bring groceries inside when Owen and the boys sat down on the couch “All of you are doing great in school, Buck you are shy and only trust TK and Mateo who also got 100% on his worksheets and tests so I’m proud of you buddy!” Owen said when Buck smiled at his uncle when Owen moved on to TK “you are hyper buddy but in a good way and if we need to we can get you on meds but only if you want to buddy.” Owen said when TK shook his head when Owen looked at Mateo who looked scared “hey boys can you go play in your room or do your homework so I can talk to Mateo?” Owen asked when the boys said ok as they headed to their room while Mateo looked scared “we’re going to get you help in school buddy, I meet with the schools special education teacher and he is going to come down to your classroom and do some tests with you so that you can get help that you need in school.” Owen said when Mateo looked at him “really?” Mateo asked when he was skeptical “how.......how do I know that this isn’t a trick? How will I know that you and the school are not lying?” Mateo asked when Owen sighed when he looked at Mateo “because buddy, I talked to your teacher and she told me that she talked to your parents about getting you help and they were not so nice about it where they?” Owen asked when Mateo shook his head “so I’m not broken?” Mateo asked when Owen looked at him when he knew that Mateo could never tell himself that he must have heard it from one of his parents “T look at me.” Owen said when Mateo did as Owen hugged him “you are not broken buddy, you might have a learning disability that we can get help with because a lot of people have learning disabilities so you are not broken.” Owen told Mateo when Mateo shook his head as they just sat on the couch for a while as Mateo felt safe in Owen’s arms. 

One week later 

Mateo has been tested for a week with the special education teacher who worked with Mateo on reading as he wrote down what is causing Mateo problems when Mateo got upset so they took a few breaks “hey buddy how about I take you back to class and we can pick it up again tomorrow.” Mr.Dasher said when Mateo shook his head when he was crying “do you want a snack to take back to class?” Mr.Dasher asked when Mateo shook his head when Mr.Dasher went and got Mateo a bag of goldfish when Mateo said thank you. 

Owen was working with the child protection service to get Mateo into his care but they are behind so Owen got temporary custody for Mateo “hey Owen there is someone here to see you.” Eric said when Owen looked up as he went downstairs to the kitchen when he saw Mateo’s case manager “hey what can I do for you?” Owen asked when he was hoping for good news “good news is that your license got transferred from New York so you can foster Mateo and his parents could care less, they have been trying to get Mateo off their hands for a while so I need to do an interview with Mateo to see how things are going but it sounds like you are doing so much for Mateo.” Elizabeth said when Owen smiled as he told her thank you over and over again “Mateo is a great kid and I have seen great improvement with him over the last few weeks.” Owen said when Elizabeth shook her head “I have talked to his school and Mateo is getting tested for dyslexia?” Elizabeth asked when Owen said yes as he knew that Mateo was scared and tired “he thinks something is wrong with him.” Owen said when Elizabeth sighed “a lot of kids do, it’s not their fault that their parents can’t access their child for being different.” Elizabeth told Owen when she left to head back to the office. 

Owen went to get the boys from school when Mateo was crying as Buck and TK were around him “hey it’s ok our dad is here so he can help you.” TK said when Owen saw his kids “what’s wrong?” Owen asked when he rushed over to the boys “we don’t know Mateo won’t tell us.” Buck said when Owen looked at Mateo who looked at him as Owen took the boys to the car when they got into the back seat as Buck was in the third row while Mateo and TK was in the second row when Owen was driving the boys back to the station “Mateo what happened?” Owen asked when Mateo looked at him “I saw my parents when they came to pick up my other siblings. My dad called me the R word.” Mateo said when the boys went into defince mood “boys let me handle this please.” Owen told his boys when they got to the station “boys please go inside while I talk to Mateo.” Owen said when the boys did as Owen smiled at Mateo who was sitting in the passenger seat “what your dad told you was wrong, that word is wrong and shouldn’t be said to anyone.” Owen said when Mateo shook his head when Owen hugged him “I care about you, the boys care about you so don’t let anyone say anything bad to you and if they do then tell an adult.” Owen said when Mateo shook his head when they headed inside as Mateo sat on the couch with the boys when they watched tv.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mateo is very,very tiny for his age so that’s why he is still in a booster seat and can fit very perfectly in the cart.


	8. Halloween costumes!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Owen takes the boys to pick out their costumes when Owen and the boys run into a mom who thinks she knows everything about the boys till Owen tells her differently. 
> 
> Protective Owen   
> Protective TK and Buck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boys birthdays 
> 
> TK is in December   
> Buck is in May   
> Mateo is in July

Owen took the boys to Target to pick up their Halloween costumes when Mateo was riding in the cart while TK and Buck held onto the cart “what is everyone going to be for Halloween?” Owen asked when TK is always the same thing every year “a firefighter.” TK said when Owen shook his head when Buck and Mateo looked at the costumes. 

Owen lifted Mateo out of the cart and placed him on his feet “how cute is your son! How old is he?” This mom asked when she saw Mateo “thank you. All my boys are 10 years old.” Owen said when Mateo shook his head “he’s so little, why is he so little?” The mom asked “oh he’s been abused his whole life by his biological family so I took him in and I’m helping him by making sure he gets a proper meal, a place to feel comfortable and loved along with a place to rest his head at night.” Owen said when TK and Buck looked at the lady “well that’s grand of you sir, we need more people like you to help all those kids who are abused by their parents, I pray for every single one of them, the parents and their kids. Only god can help them.” Owen looked at the lady “hey boys why don’t you boys go look at the toys and start making a Christmas wish list?” Owen told the boys when he didn’t want them to hear what he’s going to say when this lady needs to be put in her place and Owen didn’t want the boys to hear. 

TK and Buck each took Mateo’s hand when they went to the toys and looked around “ma’am you may think what you said was right but think about it from my two boys who came from an abusive house whole when it took me a good month for my middle son to even talk about what was going on at his parents house and my youngest son is still feeling the effects of not feeling secured in a house that he sleeps in my room on an air mattress and still had nightmares.” Owen said when this mom looked at Owen. 

“I don’t think that you were doing a bad job I’m just saying that I’m going to pray for all the kids who are being abused, it’s not like god would purposely put them in harm's way, the good lord knows what he is doing when he selected people to be parents.” Owen was mad when this lady wasn’t getting it “daddy?” Buck said when Owen looked at Buck “hey buddy what’s wrong?” Owen asked “Mateo is freaking out and TK and I can’t get him to calm down.” Buck told Owen “I’ll be right there!” Owen said when the lady looked at Owen “I’ll pray for your son.” Owen didn’t say anything when he went with Buck and saw Mateo on the floor when Owen took him time to calm Mateo down before he lifted Mateo into his arms when he held Mateo “it’s ok buddy, I’m not going to let anyone hurt you.” Owen said when the older boys did their best to look away from Mateo when they knew that Mateo was going to be embarrassed about making a scene in the store. 

Owen took the boys home when he was going to try another day when he can take all the boys to the store when Mateo just needs to take a break and head home “I’m sorry that I made it difficult for us to get Halloween costumes.” Mateo said when Owen placed Mateo in the booster seat and buckled Mateo in “it’s not your fault buddy, these things happen.” Owen told Mateo when he wasn’t mad at Mateo he understood “we can go later on in the week when I have off again.” Owen said when the older boys said ok “I still want to be a firefighter.” TK told Owen who smiled at him “what do you want to be Buck?” Owen asked his middle son “Harry Potter!” Buck told Owen who shook his head “what do you want to be buddy?” Owen asked when Mateo shrugged “we can look at the costumes when we come back.” Owen told Mateo with a smile. 

Few day later

Owen picked the boys up from school and took them to Target when Mateo was still on the fence as the last few days have been very hard for Mateo ever since he had that panic attack in the store so Mateo stayed home from school for a few days when Owen took him to work where Mateo could be monitored by an adult “so we need one Harry Potter costume, one firefighter costume and Mateo’s costume.” Owen told the boys when they shook their heads. 

Owen pulled up to Target when the boys got out of the car and headed to the entrance but Buck and TK stopped to look for cars before they crossed the street when Mateo was holding Owen’s hand “TK can you please get a cart?” Owen asked when Owen placed Mateo in the basket before he pushed the cart to the Halloween section when TK and Buck got their costumes and placed them in the cart while Owen showed Mateo a few costumes to see what Mateo would want to be “he can be Draco.” Buck said when Mateo shook his head “ok buddy I’ll find a Draco costume for you to wear.” Owen said when he looked very hard and found one in Mateo’s size and placed it in the cart. 

“I’ve never been trick or treating before.” Mateo told the crew when Owen looked at him “what do you mean buddy?” Owen asked when he couldn’t imagine not taking TK trick or treating just for a little bit because he was mostly working and the fire station did a Halloween event every year where TK helped out when he loved seeing all his friends come by and see their costumes “my parents always took my sibling trick or treating and left me at home.” Mateo said when Owen felt bad for Mateo “we’ll make sure that you get to go trick or treating this year buddy.” Owen told Mateo “I’ve never been either, my old parents didn’t let me go out of the house unless it was on their time and they always acted fake about having a kid.” Buck told Mateo “yeah, my dad tried everything to get Buck to come stay with us on Halloween night so we could go trick or treating with some of my friends.” TK told Mateo “this will be the best Halloween ever!” Owen claimed when Owen smiled at his sons when they checked out and headed home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is going to be focused on food Hoarding that both Mateo and Buck do when Owen helps them understand that they will always have food in the house and they don’t need to hoard their snacks. 
> 
> Also if you have any ideas for chapter I’m always open to suggestions.


	9. Mateo’s growth issues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mateo is having some issues with his growth so Owen finds a way to help Mateo gain back the missing weight that Mateo needs. 
> 
> Owen has an interesting conversation about Mateo.

Owen thought that Mateo would grow the same rate as the older boys once Owen got Mateo to eat a constant schedule of meal but Mateo was having a hard time eating three meals a day when Mateo would eat breakfast and dinner but skip lunch at school clamming he isn’t hungry and will eat when he gets home but Owen knew it wasn’t true when he always packs the boys extra snacks for snack time when Mateo always had his snacks left over in his backpack when Owen knew why so one day Owen sat Mateo down on the couch and talked to him “I know that you are hording your snacks I send you for snack time buddy.” Owen said when Mateo looked at Owen with eyes that said ‘sorry’ so Owen worked with Mateo on finding a balance for food. 

Owen would send snacks to the boys school and wrote a note that these are for Mateo for when he gets hungry as Mrs. Davison was very good about keeping the snack in her desk as Mateo could come up to her at any time of day and ask for a snack “wouldn’t the other kids get upset that I can eat when I want to and they have a set time?” Mateo asked Owen “no buddy because you have special permission to eat a snack because we want you to gain your lost weight back.” Owen told Mateo who looked at him. 

“Did I ever tell you that Buck had and still does have a hard time with food? I would find his draws filled with snacks and I would ask him in a calm voice why he had so much food in his room and his response was ‘I don’t know if I’ll eat tonight’ so I told him that he won’t have to worry about food because I’ll always have food in the house for all you guys and I’ll even set up a special box dedicated to snack that we can keep in the house.” Owen said when Mateo told him ok “Owen?” Mateo said when Owen looked at him “yeah buddy?” Owen asked “I’m hungry I haven’t eaten anything since this morning when you made us pancakes.” Mateo told Owen “I can make you a snack bud.” Owen told Mateo when Mateo shook his head. 

Owen went to the kitchen and made Mateo a small sandwich with a pediasure when Owen brought the food over “eat as much as you can, I don’t want you to put pressure on yourself if you can’t eat all the sandwiches and drink the whole pediasure.” Owen told Mateo when Mateo took his time and finished the sandwich and pediasure. 

One week later 

Owen took Mateo to the boys doctor when they wanted Mateo to start to drink 2 pediasures a day just to help Mateo gain back the weight he’s missing “will I always be small?” Mateo asked the doctor “not sure buddy, but with a proper diet and sleep you will grow.” Dr.Bean told Mateo who said ok when he looked sad “I can make you a smoothie buddy.” Owen said when he was thinking of a good way to help make drinking the calorie drinks fun “your foster dad can also put it in oatmeal or pancakes.” Dr.Bean told Mateo who smiled at him “thank you for seeing Mateo on such short notice.” Owen told Dr.Bean “it’s not a problem, I’m here to help if the boys need anything.” Dr.Bean said when Owen was holding Mateo’s hand “are you ready to go?” Owen asked when Mateo shook his head when Owen took Mateo to the car before Owen took Mateo to school when Owen made sure that Mateo had his lunch in his backpack along with his homework folder “do you have any tests?” Owen asked when Mateo looked at his foster dad “yeah but Mr. Dasher is going to help me so I’m going to take the tests in his classroom.” Mateo told Owen who smiled at Mateo “that’s good buddy, take your time and don’t stress.” Owen told Mateo when he wanted his sons to do good in school but also not stressed out that they don’t enjoy going to school. 

After Owen dropped Mateo off at school Owen went to the fire station to do some work before he goes home when Owen saw an email from Mateo’s case manager about a court date when Owen emailed back that he’ll be there when he wanted to go to all court dates for Mateo if he could when Owen made a file for Mateo just like Owen did with Buck. 

“Cap?” Eric asked when Eric was in the doorway of Owen’s office “yeah?” Owen asked “Mateo’s parents are here to talk to you.” Eric told Owen when Owen went downstairs “Owen let’s have a chat.” George said when Owen shook his head “yeah let’s go talk in my office.” Owen said when he took the couple up to his office when Owen closed the door “what can I do for you guys?” Owen asked “let’s make a deal.” George told Owen “about Mateo?” Owen asked when he didn’t like where this was going “yeah come on no one wants to go to court about a little boy who isn’t going anywhere in life.” George told Owen “you may think that Mateo isn’t going anywhere in life but I see Mateo as a little boy who needs help and I’m going to help him.” Owen said “Owen come on he’s so slow, no one wants a slow kid.” Faith said when Owen looked at her “a slow kid? You didn’t call Mateo a slow kid, Mateo is more than a slow kid. Mateo has a learning disorder which I took my time helping Mateo understand that he isn’t broken or slow and he’s loved.” Owen said when the biological parents looked at Owen “I have Mateo under my care and I see him as my own son so unless you want to tell me why you are truly here then get out of my office and I’ll see you guys in court.” Owen said when he was secretly recording the conversation with the parents and will send it to Elizabeth so she has it for her files. 

Owen called Elizabeth after the parents left when Owen told her everything that went on when Elizabeth took notes when Owen emailed the recording “they wanted to make a deal about Mateo.” Owen said when Elizabeth placed that in Mateo’s file to take to court when Mateo seemed to be in the best place to help Mateo with his emotional and mental health. 

Owen went to go pick up the boys from school when Mateo looked sad when the boys got into the car “hey buddy what’s wrong?” Owen asked when the boys buckled up “someone took Mateo’s extra snacks.” TK said when Owen looked at his foster son “what do you mean buddy?” Owen asked “Mateo went to get his snacks when Mrs.Davison gave Mateo one of his snacks when Mateo looked happy till he got to his desk when someone took his snack and smashed it in his desk and told Mateo ‘snack time is over!’ When Mrs.Davison tried to give Mateo a new snack but Mateo said no and didn't eat his lunch.” Buck said which made Owen upset. “I’m sorry buddy.” Owen said when Owen looked at Mateo “are you hungry? I can stop on the way home and get you guys some Happy Meals.” Owen said when Mateo said ok when Owen got the boys Happy Meals before they went home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not sure if I’ll give Mateo a growth disorder or he just needs a few extra snacks to help him gain weight.


	10. Mateo gets lost!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Owen and Mateo go to the store while the older boys hangout with Carlos at his soccer game!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW. Talks about spanking.

TK and Buck went with Carlos to his soccer game when Mateo stayed home when all the kids were invited to go when Mateo didn’t want to go and Owen had the day off which was fine “you boys have fun, and be good for Rosa ok?” Owen said when he dropped the older boys off at the house with a backpack filled with snacks and drinks along with money so they could get lunch on the way home. 

Owen and Mateo had to go to a few stores when Owen needed to buy more pediasures and their weekly groceries when Owen smiled at Mateo who was in his booster seat “next week we are going to the doctors office for some testing since you are still tiny buddy.” Owen said when Mateo shook his head “what will they do?” Mateo asked when he was scared “they will take some blood and do some x-rays to see if your bones are not growing at the same rate as the boys.” Owen said when Mateo said ok when he looked scared “don’t worry buddy I’ll be with you the whole time.” Owen told Mateo. 

Owen and Mateo’s first stop was Target when Mateo got out of the car “we need to buy TK more clothes since he hit a growth spurt.” Owen told Mateo when Owen got a cart when Mateo held onto the cart instead of riding in the cart when Owen looked at him “are you sure that you don’t want to ride in the cart?” Owen asked Mateo “I’m sure.” Mateo said when Owen said ok when they headed to the little boys section of the store “what size are you buddy?” Owen asked when he was going to buy Mateo a few outfits “tiny.” Mateo said which made Owen smile “I know that you are a tiny buddy but what size are you? I know that you are using TK’s old clothes but I want to buy you some new clothes.” Owen said when Mateo did his best to look at his shirt while Owen watched him “hold on buddy let’s me see what size you are wearing.” Owen said when he looked at the tag “you are a 7/8 for shirts and a size 8 in pants.” Owen said when he found some outfits for Mateo. 

Owen lifted Mateo into the cart before they moved onto the shoes when Owen lifted Mateo out of the cart and placed Mateo on the bench when Owen found the shoe measure “you are a size 5.” Owen told Mateo when Owen found two pairs of shoes, a pair of converse and a pair of Cat and Jack shoes. 

Owen was picking out shoes for the boys when Mateo walked off to the toy section when he saw a toy that he wanted to add to his Christmas wish list when Mateo found the toy and made his way back to where Owen was but Owen wasn’t there anymore so Mateo got scared when Mateo didn’t want to have another meltdown in the middle of the store “hey buddy, are you lost?” One of the store employees asked when Mateo shook his head “do you know where your parents are?” Mateo said no when he got scared “it’s ok buddy I’ll help you find your parents.” Mateo shook his head when he went to the front of the store “do you know where your parents were?” Mateo said no when he got more scared when Mateo just wanted Owen. 

Owen finished putting the shoes in the cart when Mateo was missing “Mateo?” Owen asked when he didn’t see his youngest son when Owen looked around the section of the store thinking Mateo was just near “come on buddy, you can come out now.” Owen said when he was getting scared thinking Mateo got kidnapped by his parents when they were trying to get Mateo back into their house when Owen made it to the book section which is next to the toy section where the boys like to go when they are at Target “Mateo?” Owen asked when he didn’t see Mateo “excuse me?” Owen said when he found a store employee “have you seen my son? He’s 10 but he’s very small for his age and very shy.” Owen said when he looked scared “what was he wearing?” The employee asked when Owen had to think of what Mateo was wearing “a blue shirt with Spider-Man and black jeans along with green shoes.” Owen said when the employee radioed in the call “we have an 8 year old boy who is looking for his parents.” Owen heard the call “my son can look between the age of 7/8.” Owen said “I have a father who is looking for his son.” Owen went to the customer service counter when he saw Mateo sitting behind the counter “Owen!” Mateo said when he saw his foster dad “oh buddy, you can’t run away from me.” Owen told Mateo “I’m sorry!” Mateo said when he hugged Owen with tears in his eyes “why did you go off buddy?” Owen asked when Mateo showed the toy he was holding “I wanted to show you a toy to add to my Christmas wish list.” Mateo told Owen who kept his mood calm “we could have gone look at the toys and you could have shown me buddy and I would have added it to your list.” Owen told Mateo “thank you for helping me out.” Owen said when he took Mateo’s hand when they went to put the toy back as Owen took a mental note of the toy “when we get home I want you to go sit in the corner in the kitchen for 10 minutes.” Owen told Mateo when he was trying to use the same method of discipline for all the boys when Mateo looked sad “your not going to hit me?” Mateo asked which made Owen stop in his tracks “what? Buddy.” Owen started when he knew why Mateo asked the same reason Buck asked so many months ago when he first came to live with them “no buddy, I don’t believe in hitting a kid for doing something wrong I rather you go think about why you did what you did wrong and we talk about it and see if we could fix it in the future.” Owen told Mateo as they checked out and headed to the car. 

Owen and Mateo brought the bags in when Owen told Mateo to go find a corner to sit in when Mateo did as he didn’t like timeouts when he wasn’t use to them like Buck and TK where so Mateo would move around a lot and would be in and out of the corner most of the time. Owen would watch Mateo when Mateo wasn’t very good with sitting still so Owen had to come up with another way to do timeout for Mateo when he always made an adjustment to the boys needs for anything including discipline. 

After Mateo’s timeout was over with Owen walked over to Mateo and told Mateo he could get up when they talked on the couch “do you know why you were in time out?” Owen asked when Mateo said no “you got placed in in time out because you scared me at the store today when you walked off on your own and I couldn’t find you buddy, I thought someone took you while I was looking at shoes for your brothers.” Owen told Mateo who looked sad “I’m sorry!” Mateo said when he didn’t want to be in trouble with Owen as Owen was so nice to Mateo “shh it’s ok buddy.” Owen told Mateo claiming Mateo down so they would talk when Owen knew it was scary for both Mateo and himself when Owen held Mateo in his lap amc cuddled with Mateo till Mateo was ready to talk some more. 

Owen and Mateo made a plane for when they are at the store that they will get everything they needed out of the way then if Mateo is good then will go look at toys and see if there is anything that Mateo wanted for his wishlist “hey T, how would your parents discipline you?” Owen asked when Mateo didn’t want to talk about it “my dad would use the belt on me but he would always go overboard on using it and my mom would use the spoon if she has to but it was mostly my dad who disciplined me.” Mateo told Owen as he hated that parents though hitting was ok “I’m not a hitter buddy, I don’t like the idea of scaring you into being good so if you are ever not doing the right thing and I ask you to one to correct it and you don’t I’m going to put you in timeout for 10 minutes then we talk about it and see what we can do better next time.” Owen told Mateo who said ok when Owen and Mateo had a chill afternoon when Owen will take the kids to the store with him to get their weekly groceries later on today or tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you LuckyDuck for this chapters idea.


	11. Halloween!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween! Owen and the boys celebrate Halloween with Carlos and Rosa!

Owen took the boys to the pumpkin patch a week before Halloween when the boys had so much fun and even got pumpkins when Owen helped the boys carve their pumpkins as TK and Buck just needed helped with the top but Mateo was not having it so he took a nap before he joined the boys and carved his pumpkin “I’ll put them out before we leave for the fire station.” Owen said while he was holding Mateo who just needed a little extra attention today which explained his mood and not being used to ask for anything he needs or wants so Owen worked with Buck and Mateo on how to ask for help or if they needed anything so they don’t act out “you just wanted extra cuddles right bubba?” Owen asked when Mateo shook his head when he was getting used to a parent who is willing to help him if needed or just basic things like cuddles or hugs. 

Halloween day! 

Owen had to work so the boys came with him to work “bring your costumes along and I’ll leave them in my car then when you boys get back from your playdate with Carlos you can go change before we all go trick or treating as a group. when Carlos and Rosa where going to pick the boys up later on in the afternoon after Carlos’ soccer game when the boys wore their Halloween shirts. “Be good for Rosa, she is being very nice to letting you boys come over and have a play date with Carlos while I’m working.” Owen said when he got the boys some donuts from Dunkin Donuts as a special Halloween treat when Owen got himself a coffee. 

Owen and the boys got to the station when the boys rushed in and sat at the table with their breakfast when Owen handed out the food while TK got the orange juice out “be good and you can watch some tv, I’ll be in my office if you guys need anything.” Owen said when the boys told Owen thank you before they started eating their breakfast.

Carlos’ soccer game! 

Carlos and Rosa came to get the boys a little early then what they thought when TK hugged his best friend “we came to get you boys a little bit early so that you can come to my game. My mom said we can get lunch on the way home!” Carlos told TK who smiled when Owen walked in from the bathroom “ok boys be good and listen to Rosa, I’ll see you boys later on tonight so we can go trick or treating.” Owen said when all the boys hugged Owen before they left to head to Carlos’ game when Owen gave Rosa some money to buy the boys lunch “don’t worry about it Owen, the boys are so nice and helpful.” Rosa said when she smiled at Owen who shook his head with a smile. 

Mateo stayed near Rosa while TK and Buck played with Carlos while kicking the ball back and forth before the game started as Buck and TK wanted to join the soccer team “ask your dad, I think we have a few spots open.” Carlos said when TK said ok when Buck shook his head “even T?” Buck asked when he pointed to Mateo who was sitting in the grass “if Mateo wants to play soccer with us then he can join but he might be put in the younger kids age group because he’s so small.” Carlos told the boys when the coach blew his whistle so Carlos joined his team while he waved goodbye to TK and Buck who went to join Mateo and Rosa on the side lines. 

Carlos team when won their game so Carlos was happy when the coach talked to the three boys about joining in the next practice when TK said that they have to ask their dad before they commit to something “that’s a good idea buddy we don’t want your parents to be upset.” Coach Todd said when he smiled at the boys “how old is the little one?” Todd asked when he looked at Mateo “he’s 10 the same age as TK and I.” Buck told Todd “I’ll need a birth certificate to confirm if Mateo is truly the same age as you boys.” Tood told the boys when TK said ok as he called Owen to see if they have a birth certificate for Mateo “I do buddy I’ll drop it by the community center later on this week so that you boys can have play soccer with Carlos.” Owen said when he was glad that his boys are getting to play sports with other kids their age. 

The boys pre-game for trick or treating! 

After they left the field Rosa took the boys to McDonald’s for lunch when all the boys got happy meals and ice cream cones “thank you for letting us come over and hangout with Carlos while our dad is working.” TK told Rosa who smiled at TK “your welcome buddy, it’s so nice that Carlos has friends that like to come over and play.” Rosa told the boys when they finished their lunch “mijo when we get home I want you to get your costume out and put in in my room so I can make any alterations that it needs.” Rosa told Carlos who said ok when they got in the car and headed to the house “what are you going to be for Halloween?” Mateo asked while getting in his seat “I’m going to be a police officer my uncle is a police officer and he’s going to stop by so we can get pictures of us together in our uniforms.” Carlos said when TK smiled at Carlos “I’m going to be a firefighter, Buck is going to be Harry Potter, and Mateo is going to be Draco.” TK told Carlos “mama can we watch Harry Potter?” Carlos asked Rosa “sure mijo, you boys can watch Harry Potter while I make dinner for nana and poppy.” Rosa told Carlos who smiled at his mom. 

Carlos and the boys went upstairs to the playroom when Carlos got all the blankets and pillows out when the boys lay down on bean bag chairs and the couch “where are your brothers and sisters?” TK asked when the older kids were normally home when the boys were at the house “high school party, mama said I’m too little to hangout with them so that’s why we’re going trick or treating with you and you dad.” Carlos said when TK shook his head “that’s cool, we’re going to get so much candy this year that your older siblings wished they came with us!” Buck told Carlos “mijo do you boys have everything you need to start your movie?” Rosa asked when Carlos said yes when he started the movie “I’m only allowed to see the first three movies without my parents the last four I can’t because they are rated PG13.” Carlos said when the movie started. 

Trick or treating! 

Owen came over after work when the sun was about to set to get the boys who seemed to have a good day when Rosa called Owen and gave him an update on the boys when they all fell asleep while watching a second movie “hey, thank you for letting the boys come over and even took them to Carlos soccer game. TK used to play on a league soccer team when he was in kindergarten but he wasn’t interested afterwards but he seems like he wants to play sports again.” Owen said when Buck came downstairs when Owen smiled at his son “hey buddy did you have a fun day?” Owen asked when TK shook his head when he hugged Owen “yeah, Rosa took us to McDonald’s after Carlos’ game.” Buck told Owen “that’s fun, what did you have to eat?” Owen asked when he was still worried about Buck getting enough food so Buck won’t hoard food “burger happy meal with coke and an ice cream cone.” Buck told Owen who smiled at his son “that’s a good meal buddy.” Owen told Buck when TK and Carlos came downstairs “Mateo is still asleep.” TK told Owen who hugged his son “go get your costumes out of the car and I’ll help you boys get your makeup on.” Owen said when the boys said ok when they went to the car and got all the costumes out before they came back inside “I can help you get their scars ready so you can wake Mateo up and get him ready.” Rosa said when Owen told Rosa thank you before Owen headed upstairs to the playroom when Mateo was waking up “hey buddy are you ready to go get your costume on so we can go trick or treating with the group.” Owen asked when Mateo shook his head “what do you say? I’ve never been trick or treating so I don’t want to mess it up.” Mateo told Owen who sat next to Mateo “just follow the boys and say trick or treat.” Owen said when Mateo said ok when they headed downstairs when the boys had their costumes on when Buck was getting his lighting bolt scar on his forehead when Carlos was getting his belt on “I don’t have a gun because I don’t want to carry a gun around.” Carlos told Buck and TK when they shook their heads “Mateo hey buddy was your nap?” Rosa asked when Mateo looked at Owen “good, I’m so excited to go trick or treating.” Mateo said when Owen helped Mateo get his costume on before Owen took a picture of the boys together before Carlos’ uncle came by to take pictures with Carlos when Mateo looked scared when Owen rubbed his back as both Buck and Mateo are scared of cops “tio these are my friends TK, Buck and Mateo!” Carlos said with a smile when uncle Ricky smiled at the boys “it’s nice to meet all three of you guys! I have to go sobrino but I’ll see you later this week ok?” Ricky said when Carlos said ok when he hugged Ricky goodbye before he joined the boys when Rosa had the candy bags when Owen helped handed them out “make sure your lights are all working.” Owen said when he handed the boys their light up necklaces. 

The boys got a lot of candy when Owen held Mateo’s hand “how are you doing buddy?” Owen asked when Mateo looked at his foster dad “good, this was so much fun!” Mateo said when he smiled at Owen “that’s good buddy anytime you need a break I can give you a piggyback ride.” Owen said when Mateo said ok when TK and Buck waited for Mateo to catch up with them as it was nice to see Mateo and Buck enjoying Halloween. 

By the time they got back to the house Carlos’ older brother was home from his party when Carlos smiled at his brother “hey Los! Did you and your friends have a fun time going trick or treating?” Roman asked when Carlos shook his head when Carlos showed Roman his candy haul when Roman smiled at his little brother “you have a good relationship with your brother.” TK told Carlos “this little guy is my favorite brother just don’t tell anyone.” Roman said when Carlos smiled at his brother “Carlos was a late to the party kid, we thought we were done after Rome but Carlos came and completely our family.” Rosa told Owen who shook his head when he knew what Rosa meant “my boys we need to say thank you to Carlos and Rosa for the playdate and letting us go trick or treating with them.” Owen and the boys said thank you and hugged both Rosa and Carlos before they got in the car when Owen smiled at his boys when today was a good day for Halloween.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made Carlos the baby of the family because I’m the baby of the family. Don’t worry we’ll meet the rest of Carlos’ family. 
> 
> Next few chapter ideas  
> Haircuts  
> Mateo gets kidnapped!  
> Owen takes the boys to Build a Bear  
> The boys make Christmas cookies!  
> A Christmas mini series!
> 
> Let me know if you have any more ideas.


	12. Haircuts and doctors appointment!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Owen takes the boys to get their haircuts when Mateo and buck were very scared but luckily Owen found a very patient barber that takes his time with the boys. 
> 
> Owen takes Matoe back to the doctors office to get testing done to check for a growth condition.

Haircuts! 

Owen takes the boys to get their haircuts when TK was very easy and always got the same cut while Buck and Mateo were scared to get their hair cuts “hey Mateo I have to call your case manager and see if we can get your haircut.” Owen told Mateo “why can’t Mateo get a haircut like TK and I?” Buck asked when TK shook his head “because he’s in foster care I can’t change his appearance.” Owen said when they got to the haircut place “ok TK you want your same style?” Owen asked when TK shook his head “Buck you want your hair buzzed or just a trim?” Owen asked when Buck looked up “I’ll try the clippers.” Buck said when Owen smiled at his son when Buck was very brave to get the clippers on his head when Buck was very scared of the clippers. Owen called Elizabeth and asked if Mateo could get a haircut when Elizabeth said yes when Owen thanked her when he smiled at the boys when they walked into the barbershop “hey Owen and boys!” Hank said when he smiled at the boys “hey Hank we need three haircuts.” Owen said when Hank smiled at the boys “ok who wants to go first?” Owen asked when TK raised his hand first “ok buddy, hop into the chair.” Hank said when TK did but TK was too small for the chair “hold on buddy I need to get the booster seat before you are still small.” Hank told TK when TK stood up as Hank put the booster seat on the chair when TK sat down “better, I don’t want to mess up your hair.” Hank said when TK smiled when Hank placed the cape on TK “Owen are we still doing the same look for TK?” Hank asked when Owen said yes when Buck and Mateo were playing with the toys in the lobby. 

Owen checked TK’s hair when TK smiled at his dad “how do you like it?” Hank asked when Owen smiled “looks good, ok Buck do you want to go next?” Owen asked when Buck shook his head when he walked over when Owen helped Buck into the chair “what are we doing with Buck?” Hank asked when Buck shrugged “we want to try the clippers.” Owen told Hank “we can buddy and if you get scared then I’ll just use the scissors.” Hank told Buck when Buck said ok “do you want your dad to stand next to you or go wait with your brothers?” Hank asked Buck “dad can go to the lobby.” Buck said when Owen said ok when Owen went back to wait with the boys. Buck did very good with his haircut when Hank took his time and made sure to keep Buck comfortable and gave Buck breaks when needed “All done buddy, let’s have your dad take a look.” Hank told Buck who smiles “you did so great buddy!” Owen told Buck when Buck smiles at Owen “next is Mateo, I’m going to stand next to him just in case he gets scared.” Owen told Hank when Mateo walked over “what do you want to do buddy?” Hank asked when Mateo shrugged when Owen showed Mateo a few hair styles when Mateo picked a short in the back and long in the front so Owen could style it. 

Mateo’s haircut took a longer time because Hank gave Mateo as many breaks as he needed when a few times Mateo was almost crying so Hank took a break when Buck and TK walked over and helped Mateo not be scared “it’s ok Mateo, you are doing so great.” TK said when Owen smiled at his son “all done buddy, I’m all done.” Hank told Mateo when Owen said thank you “thank you Hank!” TK and Buck told Hank when Mateo looked at Owen “you did good buddy!” Owen told Mateo who had a few tears running down his face “since everyone did so good, why don’t we go get ice cream on the way home.” Owen told the boys who said yeah.

Mateo was very clingy after the boys got their haircuts when Owen didn’t know that a simple haircut would could Mateo so much stress so Owen needs to find a way to help Mateo when it comes time for the boys to get their haircuts so Owen asked Elizabeth if she had any ideas to help Mateo when he needs a haircut “you are doing a great job with Mateo just talk to him about everything that is going to happen so he’s prepared.” Elizabeth told Owen who said thank you when he loaded the boys into the car and took them to get ice cream. 

One week later 

After Owen drop TK and Buck off at school Owen took Mateo to his doctor's appointment when they were going to do some tests to see why Mateo is so small for his age when Owen did his best to tell Mateo everything so Mateo was prepared one last time so they don’t have a meltdown or anyone gets hurt “they will need to take your blood buddy so they can test it then they will do X-rays that’s all I know so far.” Owen told Mateo who shook his head when he looked scared when he isn’t a huge fan of getting his blood drawn. 

Mateo was watching the tv while they waited for Mateo to get called back as Owen was filling out the paperwork and updated it for all the new information that Owen got from Elizabeth about Mateo’s health history and insurance from the state “Mateo we’re ready for you buddy.” Nurse Jessie said when she’s smiled at Mateo who got up and walked onto the back room with Owen following “first thing we need to do buddy is get your height and weight.” Jessie told Mateo who took his shoes off and stood on the scale when Mateo gained a few pounds which made Owen smile as what they were doing is working “he’s still the same height.” Jessie told Owen who shook his head when they made it back to the exam room when Mateo climbed onto the table so Jessie could finish her exam. 

After Jessie was done with her exam she told Owen and Matoe that Dr. Bean will be in soon before they do the X-rays of Mateo’s hands to check his bones for any growth abnormalities “do we have to do blood work also?” Matoe asked when Dr.Bean smiled at Mateo and said yes as Owen could since Mateo was asking for another reason “I think they have some cream that they can put on your arm that makes your arm very cold so you don’t feel the needle.” Owen said when Dr.Bean shook her head when she smiled at Owen. 

After Mateo got his X-rays which the X-ray tech gave Mateo some stickers for being so good Matoe went back to the exam room when Owen smiled at Mateo “see it wasn’t so bad buddy.” Owen said when Mateo shook his head as Jessie came in with the blood work cart which Mateo got scared so Owen helped when he placed Mateo in his lap when Jessie placed the freeze spray on Mateo’s arm which set in a few minutes before Jessie looked at Owen who shook his head when he talked to Mateo about school and playing soccer while Jessie got all the vials that she needed before Jessie took the needle out and placed a bandage on Mateo’s arm “a done buddy!” Jessie said when Mateo looked at his arm “said i didn’t even feel a thing!” Mateo told Jessie when there weren't any tears “thank you!” Mateo said when Owen felt better about the appointment “Dr.Bean will come in and talk to you guys.” Jessie said when Owen told Jessie thank you when Mateo was looking at all his stickers when Mateo got some Batman, Superman and Harry Potter stickers “one for Buck, one for TK and one for me!” Mateo told Owen who smiled at Mateo. 

Dr.Bean told Owen that it will be a few days before she gets results from the tests “you rock buddy!” Dr.Bean told Mateo who smiled at Dr.Bean “I have seen a huge change in the short amount of time that Mateo had been in your care, when Mateo first came in he didn’t even smile and now he’s showing his smile off!” Dr.Bean told Owen who smiled “yeah,Both Buck and Matoe have made huge strides, even though we still have those days that Buck and Mateo come to work with me because they are having a hard time.” Owen told Dr.Bean “you are a great dad, you have helped the boys and it shows!” Dr.Bean told Owen who thanked her “I did promise a certain little kid that he could go get a prize after this appointment since he was so stressed out.” Owen said when Matoe shook his head “have fun buddy I’ll call your foster dad when I have your results!” Dr.Bean told Mateo who said thank you before he left with Owen. 

Owen took Mateo to Target when Mateo looked at all the toys when Mateo picked out a new lego set that wasn’t on his Christmas wish list “is that the one that you want buddy?” Owen asked when Matoe said yes please when Owen smiled at Mateo “ok buddy, you did so good today at the doctors I’m so proud of you buddy’s Owen told Matoe when Mateo smiled at Owen. 

Owen took Matoe with him back to the house when Owen called Mateo out because he didn’t know how Matoe would do after his doctor's appointment and he didn’t want to put any added stress on Matoe after a stressful appointment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I remember one time when I had to get shots I was very scared so the nurse used the freeze spray on my arm before she gave me the shot.


	13. Mateo gets kidnapped!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mateo and the boys head to the park when the older boys were supposed to keep an eye on Mateo but they where to busy playing with their friends to noticed that someone was talking to Mateo. 
> 
> How will the boys react?  
> How will Owen react?  
> Who took Mateo?

Owen let the boys go to the park down the street while Owen was making dinner “TK make sure that you have your phone on you and keep an eye on your brothers.” Owen told TK who smiles at his dad “ok dad!” TK said when he smiled at his brothers when they headed out the door to meet their friends as TK and Buck rode their bikes while Mateo walked as fast as he could “keep up Mateo!” Buck yelled when Mateo was running till they got to the park as the older boys parked their bikes before they went off to play with their friends. 

Half an hour later

TK and Buck were having so much fun that they didn’t keep an eye on Mateo who was in the grass playing by himself “hey buddy do you want to see my puppy?” Someone said when Mateo said no thank you as he knew all the tricks that people try to use to kidnap kids “are you sure? He’s very cute.” The person said when Mateo looked at him “no thank you sir.” Mateo said when he was walking to the playground when the person grabbed Mateo and ran back to his car “help!” Mateo yelled when TK and Buck saw this “Mateo!” TK said when he called Owen as the car drove off with Mateo banging on the windows “shut up!” Mateo looked scared as he wanted Owen and the boys “where are you taking me?” Mateo asked when the person looked at him “your dad told me to bring you back home!” Mateo looked scared when he hasn’t seen his biological dad in a few months and he knew what his dad would do when he gets his hands on Mateo. 

Owen was finishing up dinner when he was about to call TK to come back home when TK called Owen “dad! Someone took Mateo!” TK said when Owen looked scared “don’t leave the park and I’ll be right there.” Owen told TK who said ok when he stayed with Buck as they got their bikes “we should have kept an eye on Mateo instead of letting him play by himself.” Buck said when he looked scared as he knew that he and TK would be in big trouble with Owen. 

Owen got to the park when he saw his boys “get in the car, do you know what the car looked like?” Owen asked when the boys put their bikes in the trunk before they got into the car “it was a green car with four doors!” TK said when Buck shook his head “I’ll call Ricky and see if he can help us.” Owen told the boys when he was mad but right now he was more worried about Mateo and he’ll deal with his boys later. 

Mateo was scared when he saw his dad “there you are, did you think that you could run away from me and I wouldn’t find a way to bring you back home.” George asked Mateo “no sir.” Mateo said when he looked scared “Mateo you are so dumb! How could you run away from us!” George said when Mateo was shaking as George raised his hand as Mateo just took it when his dad smacked Mateo very hard in the face “there is more of that to come!” George told Mateo who shook his head when he didn’t make a sound knowing that his dad would make it worse if Mateo made a sound. 

Ricky went to help Owen as he asked the boys any questions to help him “we were playing at the park when our dad was making dinner, we were playing on the playground while Mateo was playing in the grass by himself.” TK told Ricky who took notes “what did the person look like was he talking to Mateo for a long time or a short time?” Ricky asked “talk, white with w green shirt and jeans along with black shoes and a short time, he looked like he was asking Mateo a question but Mateo said no then he asked again and Mateo said no again so Mateo came over to us and the person grabbed Mateo and ran away to his car.” Buck told Ricky “thank you boys, I’ll put an amber alert out for Mateo, we still have a chance to find Mateo.” Ricky told the boys who shook their heads “thank you Ricky for helping.” Owen told Ricky when Owen shook Ricky’s hand before he took the boys to the car. 

Two days later 

Ricky worked night and day to find Mateo “hey Ricky we have a lead on Mateo.” Hank said when Ricky looked up “who? I need to find this kid!” Ricky said when he knew that Mateo was in danger but he didn’t know where he was “we brought in the guys who the boys described and he’s talking up a storm about how he got paid to take a little boy back home.” Hank said as Ricky got up and walked over to the interrogation room when the person the boys described was in the room “where is Mateo!” Ricky asked when Scout looked at Ricky “he’s with his parents where he belongs!” Scout said “you idiot his foster dad is where he belongs!” Ricky said when Scout looked scared “he’s a foster kid and not a run away?” Ricky shook his head “his dad just told me that he was a run away and needed to come home, he paid me $300 to bring him back home.” Scout told Ricky “do you know where he wanted Mateo to be dropped off?” Ricky asked when Scout told Ricky the address when Ricky called Owen and told him the good news “thank you so much!” Owen said when he looked at the boys “you're still grounded for a month from the park but your brother is coming home.” Owen said when the boys were excited since the last few days have been very hard for them. 

Ricky got to the house when he heard screaming as he rushed in with a few other cops “shut up!” George told Mateo when Mateo was on the floor in a ball while George was kicking Mateo “you are worthless and will never be anything!” Mateo whimpered when Ricky walked in “George freeze!” Ricky said as the other officers checked on Mateo “no leave me alone I’ll be good!” Mateo said when Ricky handed George over to another officer while he dealt when Mateo “hey buddy it’s Ricky, do you remember me I’m Carlos’ uncle.” Ricky told Mateo who looked up “good cop.” Mateo told Ricky who smiled “yeah buddy I’m a good cop.” Ricky said when he asked for an ambulance “your foster dad is going to meet you at the hospital buddy.” Ricky said when the 122 came in and took care of Mateo when they were very careful with Mateo. 

Owen went to the hospital while Rose let the boys hangout with Carlos who was mad at his friends for letting Mateo get kidnapped “mama do they have to come over?” Carlos asked when Rose looked at Carlos “yes baby, Owen needs to go take care of Mateo at the hospital and he doesn’t want to take the boys with him so he could focus on Mateo.” Rose said when Carlos said ok when Owen dropped the boys off “thank you so much for helping me out!” Owen said when the boys walked inside “be good for Rose.” Owen said when the boys shook their heads when Owen told them goodbye before he went to his car and headed to the hospital. 

Mateo was in the trauma unit when Ricky waited with him as Matoe looked smaller than he was “is my dad here here?” Mateo asked when he looked scared “soon buddy, he’s on his way.” Ricky said while Owen rushed in “oh buddy I’m so sorry!” Owen said when he looked at Mateo all over as he looked rough when his right eye was black, his face was bruised and Mateo looked scared “thank you so much for helping.” Owen told Ricky as Ricky smiled at Owen “your welcome, I’ll see you later buddy.” Ricky said when Mateo shook his head when he looked at Owen who held his hand. 

Mateo stayed in the hospital for a week when he needed to recover from his injuries when the boys came to visit when Carlos wasn’t mad at TK and Buck anymore “how are you feeling sweetie?” Rose asked Mateo “I still hurt but I’m getting better.” Mateo said when Owen smiled as they were working on true feelings and not just saying better or good work Mateo and Buck “that’s good sweetie, your foster dad is doing a great job.” Rose told Mateo who smiled at Owen. 

Owen brought Mateo home when they took their time when Mateo has some broken ribs from the kicks when Owen set up a special section for Mateo with ice packs and a bed on the couch where Mateo will be sleeping for a while till he can climb the stairs “he can have some children’s Tylenol for the pain I would give him something a little stronger but with his weight issues he’s the size of a younger boy and it’s not recommended to give kids under 10 strong pain meds that isn’t Tylenol.”DrAlex told Owen who shook his head when he smiled at Mateo “are you ready to go home?” Owen asked when Mateo shook his head as Owen helped Mateo out of the bed and into the wheelchair “I don’t want to see you anytime soon buddy.” Alex told Mateo who smiled “thank you.” Mateo said when Alex smiled at Mateo when Owen pushed Mateo to the car before Owen helped Mateo into the car and into his booster seat and buckled Mateo into his seat when Mateo hissed “I know buddy, it’s only a few minutes away from the house then we are home.” Owen said as Mateo shook his head as Owen kissed the top of Mateo’s head before he closed the door. 

Owen set Mateo up on the couch with a blanket when Owen made Mateo a snack along with a tumbler filled with water with a bendy straw so Mateo didn’t have to strain himself “what do you want to watch buddy?” Owen asked when Mateo shrugged his shoulder when he was very tired for the last few days and just wanted to sleep “someone is getting sleepy.” Owen said when Mateo shook his head “I’ll let you sleep buddy.” Owen said when Mateo smiled as he closed his eyes and slowly fell asleep so did Owen as the last week has been so stressful that a nap sounded good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you @Luckyduck for the idea! 
> 
> Next chapter Owen takes the boys to Build A Bear!


	14. Build A Bear!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Owen takes the boys to Build a Bear after a long month.

With Mateo still recovering Owen decided to take the boys to do something fun since the last few days have been very boring with the older boys going to school and Mateo staying home or going to the fire station with Owen “dad can we go to Carlos’ house?” TK asked when Owen looked at TK “no because you and Buck are still grounded from the park and riding your outdoor toys but I’m going to take you boys to do something fun today after Mateo wakes up from his nap.” Owen said when TK said ok “it was our fault that Mateo got kidnapped his bio dad took him.” TK told Owen “it wasn’t but I told you to keep an eye on your brothers and you two left Mateo to play by himself instead of letting him join you guys with your friends.” Owen told the older boys.

Mateo was awake and softly crying thinking it’s his fault his brothers are in trouble “don’t let Mateo know, he’s very sensitive right now and I don’t want him to think any different from him.” Owen told the boys “a little too late dad, Mateo is up and crying.” Buck said when Owen went over to the couch and saw Mateo crying “hey, it's not your fault what happened, your bio dad wanted you so he took you and now he’s in jail where he can’t get a hold of you.” Owen said when Mateo shook his head as Owen hugged Mateo when they stayed on the couch for a while till Mateo calmed down “boys can you get your shoes on so we can do the fun thing?” Owen asked when TK and Buck shook their heads as they went to get their shoes on while Owen helped Mateo get his shoes on before they went to the car when Owen brought the wheelchair along and placed it on the trunk. 

Owen took the boys to the mall when this whole month has been very hard for all the boys so Owen wanted to do something fun to help the boys “what are we going to do dad?” TK asked when he was very excited to go to the mall when it’s a treat since Owen was always working “we are going to eat lunch and then I’m going to take you boys to Build a Bear!” Owen told the boys when they were very excited as TK and Buck had been to Build a Bear and had a few stuffed animals at home but Mateo was all new for them “what is Build a Bear?” Mateo asked when he looked sad “it’s a very fun place that you can go in and build a stuffed animal then you can get an outfit for your new friend.” Owen told Mateo who shook his head “it sounds fun.” Mateo told Owen when Owen helped Mateo into the wheelchair when they headed inside and walked to the food court when Owen got the boys lunch. 

After lunch Owen took the boys to the Build a Bear when TK and Buck looked around at all the different stuffed animals while Owen helped Mateo “do you see any stuffed animal that sticks out to you buddy?” Owen asked when Mateo shook his head when Mateo picked a monkey which made Mateo smile “that’s a great chose buddy!” Owen told Mateo when Buck was holding a stuffed Bear and TK a stuffed Pig “hey boys are you guys ready to stuff your new friends?” Melody asked when the boys shook their heads “I think that T should go first!” TK said when he smiled at his little brother when Buck shook his head.

“Ok buddy are you ready to stuff your monkey?” Owen asked when Mateo shook his head when he stood up and took his time “have you ever been to Build a Bear buddy?” Melody asked when Mateo said no “no problem buddy I’ll help you.” Melody told Mateo who shook his head “what is your name buddy?” Melody asked Mateo who looked at Owen “Meteo.” Mateo said when Melody wrote it down “how do you spell that buddy?” Melody asked “M-A-T-E-O.” Mateo said when Melody smiled at the little boy “awesome, now if you can please step on the pedal for me so we can stuff your monkey.” Melody told Mateo when Mateo did when Owen smiled at his son when Mateo looked happy as Melody stuffed the monkey before she asked Mateo if it was stuffed enough for Mateo’s liking when Matoe hugged the monkey when Mateo shook his head before he handed the Monkey back.

Melody stuffed TK and Buck’s bear and pig before they did the heart ceremony “thank you!” The boys said when Melody smiled as she handed the stuffed animals back to the boys when the boys went to find an outfit for their new friend while Mateo was just happy to have a stuffed animal when Mateo didn’t care about an outfit “do you want an outfit buddy?” Owen asked when Mateo looked at Owen “can I?” Mateo asked when Owen shook his head and smiled “sure buddy, I’m letting all you boys get an outfit for your stuffed animals.” Owen said when Mateo said ok. 

TK picked out a firefighter costume while Buck picked a soccer outfit for their stuffed animals while Mateo took his time when he wanted it to be perfect till Mateo found a ninja costume which made Mateo smile “now we have to go and name our stuffed animals!” Buck told Mateo who looked scared when he couldn’t spell what he wanted to name his new friend “don’t worry I’ll help you out buddy.” Owen told Mateo who shook his head when they went over to the naming station when TK and Buck only needed a little help with their address and Owen’s email when Owen filled out everything for Mateo when Mateo was holding his monkey. 

After Owen paid for the stuffed animals Owen took the boys to look at a few more stores before they headed home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mateo named his money “Banana.”  
> TK named his Pig “Piggy”  
> Buck named his Bear “Buddy” 
> 
> Thank you LuckyDuck for this idea! 
> 
> Next chapter:Owen and the boys go volunteer!


	15. The boys volunteer!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Owen and the boys volunteer!

Owen wanted to start a few new things since they were in Austin like having the boys do some volunteering “boys can we talk?” Owen asked when Mateo was on the couch watching TV while TK and Buck came downstairs from their room “what’s up dad?” TK asked when he sat on the couch next to Mateo “so I was thinking that since you boys are getting older we should do some volunteering at the local food bank.” Owen told the boys who looked at eachother “ok dad.” TK said when he looked happy when he always wanted to volunteer “what will we be doing?” Buck asked when he was playing with Mateo’s hair which made Mateo smack his hand. 

“We’re going to help pack bags to hand out to families in need for Thanksgivings.” Owen told the boys while watching Mateo smacking Buck’s hand which made Owen frown “Buck stop!” Mateo told Buck “sorry crank butt!” Buck told Mateo when he was just having a little bit of fun with his little brother “Buck I don’t think that Mateo likes when you play with his hair and Mateo please asked nicely for Buck to stop playing with your hair.” Owen told the boys “someone needs their nap.” TK said when Owen looked at his oldest son “I think that everyone needs to take a break from everyone so why don’t you boys go find somewhere to be and I’ll call you when dinner is ready.” Owen said when the boys said ok when they headed upstairs to their room when Mateo stayed on the couch “are you tired? Do you want to take your nap?” Owen asked when Mateo is a normally chill kid “not sleepy.” Mateo told Owen while rubbing his eyes “un huh I know for a fact that you don’t get upset over little things like Buck playing with your hair.” Owen said when Mateo looked at his dad “everyone treats me like a little kid, I’m the same age as the other boys.” Mateo told Owen “I know buddy and I’m sorry I think it’s me, you're so little that sometimes I don’t see you as a 10 year old boy I see you as a 7 or 8 year old boy.” Owen said when Mateo shook his head “I know I’m tiny and I need to grow so I’m the same size as the boys.” Mateo said when Owen shook his head “I’m sorry buddy, I’ll do a better job of making you feel like you're the same age as the boys.” Owen told Mateo when they hugged. 

Few days later 

Owen and the boys went to the local food bank center when they helped make bags when TK and Buck had a great time while Mateo didn’t when he didn’t like the food bank when his parents would bring Mateo to the food bank and leave him “I don’t want to be here.” Mateo told Owen “why not buddy?” Owen asked when he looked at Mateo who was playing with his hands “my parents used to bring me to the food bank and leave me.” Mateo told Owen who felt bad “I can call Rose or Roman to come and get you buddy.” Owen said when Mateo said no “it’s ok dad, I’m fine.” Mateo told Owen “are you sure buddy?” Owen asked when he wanted his boys to feel comfortable with anything they do “daddy look!” Buck said when he and TK worked together “that’s great buddy!” Owen said when he smiled at his boys “thank you so much for helping us out! It’s so nice to see a father and his boys come and help.” Val told Owen “yeah no problem, we don’t mind helping out when needed.” Owen said when Mateo was sitting on the floor “is he ok?” Val asked Owen “yeah he’s just a little upset.” Owen said when Val looked at Mateo “hey buddy I know you.” Val said “yeah I have been here a lot.” Mateo told Val who smiled at Mateo “it’s a good thing that you have an adult with you buddy.” Val told Mateo “what would his parents do?” Owen asked Val “they would come and get food but ‘accidentally’ miss a kid.” Val said when Mateo shook his head “this is my foster dad, he’s been very nice to me and those two over there are my foster brothers.” Mateo said when Val smiled “I’m happy for you sweetie.” Val told Mateo when they finished packing the bags. 

After the family was done with the food bank Owen took the boys to get lunch “that was fun dad!” TK told Owen who smiled at his son “I’m glad buddy, we should do that more often.” Owen told the boys when Mateo looked asleep with his head in his hand “oh buddy you wore yourself out.” Owen told Matoe “he seems to be getting better.” TK told Owen who smiled at his dad “yeah but sometimes I still forget that Mateo is still recovering.” Owen said when the boys shook their heads when they got home. 

Owen and TK talked when Buck and Mateo were in their room “we have to talk about if you want to go to your mom or have your mom come here for Christmas.” Owen said when TK looked up “I always go to mom's house for Christmas and I don’t want to leave the boys, it’s their first real Christmas as a family and I don’t want to miss out.” TK told Owen “I’ll let your mom know that she should come here.” Owen said when TK smiled at Owen “thanks dad!” TK said before he ran upstairs to his room “what did your dad need?” Mateo asked when TK told them “your mom isn’t a fan of my bio parents.” Buck told TK “but she’s a fan of you!” TK told Buck “your mom does that even know me.” Mateo told TK “she’s going to love you!” TK told Mateo “hopefully.” Mateo told the boys “don’t worry Aunt Gwen seems like a hard head but she’s very nice.” Buck said when TK shook his head “Boys it’s almost dinner time!” Owen said when the boys got washed up for dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter Gwen comes to visit for Christmas!


	16. Gwen comes to visit!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gwen comes to visit the family for a few weeks!

Owen and the boys go to the airport after school since Gwen is flying in today to spend a few weeks with the boys when Owen told her that both Buck and Mateo are at the house Gwen was very excited to see they their nephew was finally in a stable home and Gwen was also very grateful that Owen took in Mateo “ok when we get inside everyone please stay near me, I don’t want to lose anybody.” Owen told the boys when they said ok as Mateo was holding Buck’s hand while TK was very excited to see his mom while Buck and Mateo not so much they were very scared of what Gwen would do or say when she sees them when Owen smiled at the boys “don’t worry just because aunt Gwen and I didn’t work out doesn't mean we are not good friends.” Owen said when the boys shook their heads when they sat on the couches waiting for Gwen’s flight to land. 

Gwen was so excited to see TK and the boys as she planned her vacation around the boys school schedule so she could spend as much time as she could without the boys missing too much school so they could go and do things as a family when Owen isn’t working. 

Mateo was asleep when Gwen landed as Owen smiled “he’s been back to school for a few days I think it makes him tired those long hours.” TK told Owen “yeah, I think his body is still recovering from when he was attacked by his biological dad and I did tell him that I could come and pick him up after lunch but he said no that he wants to try and stay the whole day and come home when you two come home.” Owen told TK who saw his mom coming down the escalator when TK smiled at her as Owen smiled also when TK ran to his mom “mommy!” TK said when he hugged Gwen “hey baby I missed you so much!” Gwen told TK who smiled when they headed over to Owen and the boys “hey, how was your flight?” Owen asked when he hugged Gwen “good not as long as flying to New York City.” Gwen said when Buck looked up “hey Bucky how are you doing sweetie?” Gwen asked when Buck smiled at Gwen “good.” Buck told Gwen. 

Owen smiled when Gwen asked who was asleep on the couch “This guy is Mateo, he’s my newest foster son.” Owen said when he rubbed Mateo’s back which made Mateo wake up a little bit “hey buddy we’re going to head home soon then you can sleep in your bed and not on the airport couch.” Owen told Mateo who looked at Gwen before he rubbed his eyes “this is TK’s mom Gwen.” Owen told Mateo when Mateo shook his head “we had a lot going on with Mateo the last few weeks so he’s kinda more tired than normal.” Owen told Gwen who shook her head “I understand buddy.” Gwen said when Owen lifted Mateo onto his back before they went to get Gwen’s suitcase and headed to the car when all the boys got in the back seat as Owen placed Mateo in his booster seat when they headed home. 

Owen drove home when the older boys talked about what they wanted to do while Gwen was here while Mateo was back asleep “so Mateo had a follow up appointment with the doctor on Friday to get his tests results back and see if we need to go see a specialist about his growth issues since he’s so small for his age.” Owen told Gwen who looked at Mateo “he looks 7 or 8 years old.” Gwen told Owen “he’s the same age as the boys.” Owen told Gwen who felt bad when Owen gave Gwen the basics of Mateo’s story but didn’t go into full detail “daddy, Mateo is having another nightmare.” Buck told Owen who pulled over and helped Mateo with his dream “it’s ok baby, I’m here, no one can hurt you.” Owen told Mateo when it took a while for Mateo to come out of his dream and back to reality when Owen felt bad when Mateo hadn’t had a bad dream in a couple weeks. 

Mateo was better Owen drove the rest of the way home when TK and Buck were quiet the rest of the ride home “TK when we get home can you please show your mom where she is staying while I get Mateo tucked in for his nap?” Owen asked when TK shook his head while looking at Mateo who didn’t look at anyone else because he was embarrassed. 

TK and Buck showed Gwen where she was going to be staying when she smiled at the boys as they heard Owen talking to Mateo who was crying “I know buddy, do you want to go sleep in my room on your bed?” Owen asked when Mateo shook his head as Owen took Mateo to the master bedroom and placed Mateo on the bed that Owen keeps in the room for the boys to sleep in the master bedroom. 

Owen came downstairs after he placed Gwen’s suitcase in the older boy’s room when the boys were going to sleep in Mateo’s room while Mateo was going to sleep in Owen’s room which seems to be the best place for Mateo to sleep “does Mateo have nightmares often?” Gwen asked when Owen shook his head “yeah about a month ago Mateo and the boys were at the park down the street when someone took Mateo to his bio dad when it was a few days before Mateo was found by a family friend who’s an police officer.” Owen told Gwen who looked sad “Mateo stayed in the hospital for a week because he had so many injuries from his bio dad who was trying to get Mateo back in his own care.” Owen told Gwen who looked shocked “he’s breaking the law. Did you file for full custody of Mateo so you can adopt him in the future?” Gwen asked Owen “yeah, Elizabeth is working on getting me full custody of Mateo so when I want to I can adopt him because Mateo is doing so much better in my care, when the boys first brought Mateo home I looked at him and smiled as I fell in love with Mateo from that day and I did everything in my own power to help Mateo.” Owen told Gwen who smiled at Owen. 

Gwen took the older boys to get dinner while Owen stayed home with Mateo who just woke up and looked very tired still when Owen worked on helping Mateo wake up “where’s boys?” Mateo asked when the house was very quiet “Gwen took them to get dinner.” Owen told Mateo who shook his head when Owen got Mateo to one of his tumbler cups with water “thank you.” Mateo told Owen who smiled “no problem buddy.” Owen told Mateo when Mateo placed the cup down and almost spilled it which made Mateo scared “I’m sorry!” Mateo told Owen who sighed “it’s ok buddy, you didn’t spill it see the lid is on the cup.” Owen told Mateo who shook his head as Owen was working with Mateo on how he’s not going to be in trouble for small things like spilling food or cups. 

Mateo was at the table after he set it when Owen smiled at Mateo’s attempt of setting the table “thank you buddy!” Owen told Mateo who smiled at Owen as Owen did his best not to let the little things that the boys do cause a problem “dad we’re back!” TK told Owen when Owen smiled at the boys when Owen took the bag from TK “thank you buddy!” Owen told TK when Buck walked in after Gwen who smiled at Owen “your boys are such great helpers!” Gwen said as the boys were playing with Mateo’s hair “stop!” Mateo told the boys when he looked like he was going to cry “hey what’s wrong? Why don’t you want the boys to play with your hair?” Owen asked when this is the second time in the last few weeks that Mateo freaked out about his hair “can’t say in front of boys?” Mateo told Owen who shook his head when he took Mateo to another room “do you want to write it down?” Owen asked when Mateo shook his head as he did his best writing and spelling out what he wanted to say “so your bio dad pulled your hair a lot and he pulled it when he had you a few weeks ago?” Owen asked when Mateo shook his head “I’m sorry buddy, the boys won’t play with your hair and no one will touch your hair ok?” Owen asked when Mateo shook his head before they headed back to the kitchen “we’re not going to just randomly touch Mateo’s head without asking him because it’s a trigger ok?” Owen asked the boys who said ok when they smiled at Mateo who was sitting at the table with his plate and ate all his dinner and talked with the family. 

After dinner TK and Buck did the dishes when Mateo was doing his after dinner chores when Owen smiled at Mateo “did you clean your clothes off the floor in the bathroom?” Owen asked when Mateo shook his head when Owen smiled as he checked it off the chore chart under Mateo’s name when each of the boys have different chores and Mateo had a few but most of them are basic life skills just like Buck who had some basic chores for 10 years olds like make his bed and such “who had homework?” Owen when the boys got their homework folders out and did their homework when Mateo’s homework took a little longer than the older boys “dad can you please read to me?” Buck asked when Owen said sure as he read to the boys as part of their night time reading “shower time!” Owen told the boys when they took turns as Mateo still took a bath when Owen didn’t want Mateo to stand too long and pass out from execution. 

After the boys when bed Owen and Gwen talked as they caught up with some wine “you are doing such a great job with the boys!” Gwen told Owen who smiled “thank you, each boy had their own stuggle but I don’t mind it for the world I rather have the boys know that they can come to me with any problems and we can talk about them insisted of them hiding things from me and fearing I’m going to be upset with them.” Owen told Gwen who shook her head when Mateo came down and walked over to Owen “not tired.” Mateo told Owen who smiled “you seem tired buddy.” Owen told Mateo when Owen felt Mateo climbing into his lap and curled into Owen’s lap when Owen smiled at his youngest son and kissed his head when Mateo fell asleep when Owen and Gwen talked for a half an hour more before they went to bed as Owen took Mateo to his room and placed Mateo in the separate bed on the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Owen and Gwen are good friend who did their best to make it work for TK and the boys sake!


	17. Christmas tree and new traditions!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The family goes and gets a tree for Christmas when TK was very excited! 
> 
> Owen starts a new tradition with the boys! 
> 
> Part 1 of my mini Christmas series!

Owen, Gwen and the boys went to get a Christmas tree from the Christmas tree farm when Mateo didn’t look as happy as the boys did when Owen asked why “I don’t like Christmas.” Mateo said when Owen felt bad “why buddy?” Owen asked when Mateo shrugged his shoulders “Christmas is a happy holiday buddy, filled with so much fun things to do.” Owen told Mateo “not my family, I was on the Angel tree list.” Mateo told Owen who felt bad “don’t worry buddy this year you will have a great Christmas I’ll make sure of it.” Owen told Mateo when Mateo said ok as they walked with the boys who were with Gwen “you doing ok sweetie?” Gwen asked Mateo who shook his head “we’re a little sad about Christmas.” Owen told Gwen when she felt bad as Owen was holding Mateo when they looked at the trees as they found the perfect tree as TK was very excited to get a tree when Owen paid for the tree when they headed to the car and picked up the tree before they went home and unloaded the tree. 

Owen let the older boys decorate the tree when TK had a bunch of ornaments from being an only child for a while “dad this isn’t going to work.” TK told Owen who looked at TK with a very questionable look on his face “why not?” Owen asked when TK pointed to Buck and Mateo “I can’t share my ornaments that had my names on them and they don’t have any personal ornaments for the tree.” TK told Owen “I guess we need to go get ornaments for everyone!” Owen said with a smile when they loaded up the car and headed to the store when Owen let the boys pick out all the ornaments they wanted for the tree when Buck took his time looked at all the different ones while Mateo stayed in the cart as Owen showed Mateo a few ornaments that Owen thought Mateo might like but Mateo didn’t say as Owen sighed when Gwen stayed with the older boys while Owen took Mateo to go talk about what’s wrong “I never had anything with my name on it for a tree.” Mateo told Owen who shook his head “let’s start a new tradition that we get you a new ornament each year.” Owen said when Mateo said ok when Owen got Buck a few Harry Potter and Star War ornaments while Mateo looked and picked one since ornaments with a bear on it when Mateo smiled at the ornaments as Mateo picked a few more to add to his pile when Matoe was happy with his choses. 

Owen wanted to start a new tradition with the boys when he will buy the boys a pair of pajamas and a Christmas book to help kick off the Christmas season when Gwen took the boys to the snack bar as the boys each got a popcorn combo with ices while Owen went shopping as he had the boys sizes memorized so he didn’t had to look at tags when TK and Buck was a Large and Mateo was a small. 

After Owen got the boys their presents Owen met the boys when Mateo looked sad “he was worried where you went but we told Mateo that you wouldn’t leave him alone because he had the boys and I.” Gwen told Owen who shook his head when they headed to the car as Owen was going to get Mateo something special for Christmas that he needed for a while but Owen was going to wait to get it till Christmas when Owen was almost done shopping for the boys but he just needed a few more things. 

Once they got home the boys finished decorating the tree whole Owen wrapped the boys presents as he will give them to the boys right before they get ready for bed “daddy look at the tree!” TK said when Owen smiled as the tree looked good as Owen was going to add an ornament for Buck to represent his adoption and Mateo a ornaments for permanent family when Owen got great news that he was going to share with his boys at dinner time. 

Buck and TK went to the park to play with their friends while Mateo stayed home as he didn’t want to go to the park anymore so he helped Owen make dinner till he got tired and went to the couch and lied down while watching TV which Owen didn’t like as he wanted Mateo to play with the kids in the neighborhood instead of staying inside all the time “maybe I can talk to him, as a second option.” Gwen said when Owen shook his head “hey buddy, why didn’t you want to go play with the boys at the park?” Gwen asked “I got hurt at the park and I don’t want to go back.” Mateo said when Owen heard this as he didn’t like this at all when Gwen knew the whole story “it’s ok buddy, you don’t have to go back to the park till you're ready.” Owen said when he knew it would take time for Mateo to feel comfortable to go back to the park and play with his friends. 

TK and Buck came back when they walked in as Owen just put dinner on the table “perfect timing boys, go wash up for dinner.” Owen said when the older boys did as they sat at the table when Mateo was drinking his water out of a regular cup with no straw or lid. Owen served everyone dinner when Owen smiled at the boys who talked about the park when Carlos was at the park today when his older sister brought him to the park “we met Carlos’ older sister Clair!” TK told his parents “how old is she?” Owen asked “she’s 17 and can drive a car!” Buck said when everyone smiled at Buck “well daddy had some news for Mateo.” Owen said as he smiled at Mateo who looked scared “so Elizabeth called me today and told me that your parents rights have been revoked so they can’t get a hold of you anymore and I can start the adoption process.” Owen said when the boys were so excited as they hugged Mateo “really?” Mateo asked when Owen shook his head as Mateo was crying “happy tears?” Owen asked when Mateo shook his head and hugged Owen “thank you!” Mateo said when Owen smiled and hugged the little boy back. 

After dinner the boys got ready for bed but before they did Owen got the presents as he handed the boys their boxes “don’t open till everyone had their presents.” Owen said as the boys said ok when they waited as Mateo took his present “daddy wants to start a new tradition since two of you this is your first true Christmas season so I want to make it special.” Owen told the boys when they smiled as they where excited “open!” Owen told the boys when they did as they smiled at their new pajamas and book “thank you!” TK said when he hugged his dad and looked at the book “I know that it’s a little childish to get picture books but I thought it was a good idea.” Owen told the boys who hugged him “no it’s not dad.” Buck said when he smiled at his book as Mateo was holding his things very close to him as today was a lot for Mateo who got a lot of new things that he’s never had “what do you think buddy?” Owen asked when Mateo smiled at Owen “thank you dad.” Mateo told Owen who smiled when Matoe only called him dad when he was in pain at the hospital but this was out of love “your welcome buddy.” Owen told Mateo “these are to be worn on the first of December.” Owen told the boys who went upstairs and got ready for bed when they put their pajamas away for a few more days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My grandma use to get my siblings and I a new Christmas book to read of Christmas Eve before we went to bed. 
> 
> Please help me out, what should Mateo’s big present should be. 
> 
> -Bike  
> -Skateboard   
> -Scooter


	18. Making cookies and follow up appointment!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 of the mini Christmas series!   
> The boys make Christmas cookies while Owen is at work. 
> 
> Owen takes Mateo to his follow up with Dr.Bean.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Owen rented Gwen a car so she could take the boys places while Owen is at work.

Gwen took the boys to the store so they could get everything they needed to make Christmas cookies “when do you go back mommy?” TK asked when Gwen smiled at her son “I’m here till Christmas Eve then I have to go home so your dad and I are going to do a small Christmas celebration so I can give you boys your presents before I go home.” Gwen said when TK shook his head when Buck and Mateo looked at eachother “even us?” Buck asked when Gwen shook her head “yep even you two.” Gwen said with a smile when they made it to the store as the boys got out of the car and headed inside when TK held Mateo’s hand when they crossed the street while Buck got a cart when Mateo rode on the back of the cart as they made it to the baking section and got all the take and bake cookies that they wanted to make when Gwen was going to make some homemade cookies also. 

After the store Gwen took the boys home when Owen was home from work “hey boys did you have a fun day?” Owen asked when all the boys hugged him “yeah, mom took us to the store so we can make cookies!” TK said when Owen smiled “tomorrow I have off so we can either go see Santa or go to Six Flags.” Owen told the boys when Mateo looked at Owen “who’s Santa?” Mateo asked when everyone looked at him as Buck and TK explained who Santa was “Santa comes every year and brings presents to all the boys and girls who live in the world!” Buck said when Mateo looked sad “then he must have missed my house or my foster homes.” Mateo told when Owen rubbed his back “you can ask him buddy when we see him.” Owen said as he was going to call a head and explain the situation so when they do go see Santa Mateo can ask Santa about his past houses. 

Gwen helped the boys make cookies when Mateo didn’t want to make any cookies for Santa who Mateo thought was a bad person when Owen sat with Mateo in his lap “do you want to help decorate the cookies when the time comes?” Owen asked when Mateo said no when he looked very sad as Owen did his best to help Mateo see that Christmas isn’t all about Santa or trees it’s a family holiday which could be very hard if you didn’t have a good history with your family. 

Owen looked at all the cookies when he smiled as Mateo had some “so how do I get on Santa’s good side?” Mateo asked for all the Santa rules “you are already on the nice list buddy.” Owen told Mateo who looked at Owen “but I ran away.” Mateo told Owen “yeah but you did a lot of good so that one bad thing wouldn’t mess up your nice side with Santa.” Owen told Mateo who said ok as he was still nervous to see Santa but if the boys were happy then he shouldn’t have anything to worry about. 

After a while Mateo went to help make cookies with the boys when Owen smiled at Matoe who was coming out of his shell more and more every day “what did you guys ask for?” Mateo asked when Buck and TK smiled at Mateo “I already got what I wanted for Christmas.” Buck told the group when he smiled at Owen “what’s that buddy?” Owen asked when he didn’t know what Buck was talking about “you adopting me into your family!” Buck said when Owen came up and hugged Buck “I’m glad buddy, I’m glad that your biggest ask was to be adopted into the family.” Owen said when he lifted Buck up and hugged him very tight when Owen might have shed some tears. 

After the cookies were done the boys went to the couch and watched a Christmas movie when Owen was going to work on putting together Mateo’s big presents when Owen got Mateo a bike with training wheels so he could join the boys when they go to the park “daddy?” TK called when Owen looked up as he saw TK standing in the garage looking at the bike “it’s for Mateo so don’t tell him ok bud?” Owen asked when TK shook his head “Elizabeth is here to drop off Mateo’s presents to put under the tree.” TK told Owen who got up and headed inside and smiled when Elizabeth handed the big bag of presents over to Owen “thank you!” Owen said as Mateo saw all the presents “who are those for?” Mateo asked when Owen smiled at him “you buddy.” Owen told Mateo. 

“Wow!” Mateo said when he placed the presents under the tree “thank you!” Mateo told Elizabeth who smiled “your welcome buddy!” Elizabeth told Mateo when Mateo counter all the presents “I have 10 presents!” Mateo said when he smiled as Owen knew that the foster care agency sends over maybe three or four presents “my family might have gotten Mateo a few extra with our own money.” Elizabeth told Owen “this year instead of my kids asking for presents they wanted to give back to a kid in need and they picked Mateo, this was before you took Mateo in.” Elizabeth told Owen who said ok when he was happy when Mateo looked happy “do you want to see his big present?” Owen asked Elizabeth who shook her head when Owen took Elizabeth to show her the bike “that’s perfect Owen.” Elizabeth said when she smiled as she wished that she could buy every one of her kids on her caseload a bike for Christmas but it’s not financially possible. 

Mateo’s follow up appointment. 

Owen took Mateo to the doctor before Owen had his shift this afternoon while Gwen and the boys are going to go to the zoo “there is no needles today buddy, it’s just a follow up appointment to talk with Dr.Bean and see if we need to go see a specialist to help us with your growth issues.” Owen told Mateo who shook his head “what if the specialist wants to do more tests with more needles?” Mateo asked Owen “we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.” Owen told Mateo when he didn’t have all the answers that the boys asked. 

Owen and Mateo were waiting in the waiting room when Mateo looked at the TV which was showing a Christmas movie “what is this movie?” Mateo asked Owen who looked up at the TV “um, this is ‘The Polar Express.’ It’s one of TK’s favorite movies.” Owen told Mateo who shook his head when Mateo was called back “let’s see little man grew 5 more pounds and still the same night.” Jessie said when she smiled at Mateo when they headed to an exam room when Mateo sat on the table and did her exam “how’s your Christmas season going buddy?” Jessie asked “good, we got a tree and we’re going to see Santa soon.” Mateo said when Owen smiled at his youngest son. 

Dr.Bean walked in with Mateo’s chart “hey buddy!” Dr.Bean said when she smiled at Mateo when Mateo smiled back “so I want you to go to see a specialist to get a second opinion on your growth issues.” Dr.Bean said when she showed the X-rays and bloodwork to Owen who was holding Mateo in his lap so they could look together “do you have any recommendations for a doctor?” Owen asked when Dr.Bean smiled and pulled out a business card “this is Dr.Franklin he’s very good and is an endocrinologist.” Dr.Bean said when Owen said thank you as they wished Dr.Bean a Merry Christmas before they headed to the car when Owen called the specialist to see when they could get Mateo an appointment after the new year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it’s not logic for Mateo to get a bunch of presents from the foster care agency but everyone wanted Mateo to have a good Christmas.


	19. Seeing Santa!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The family goes to see Santa in the mall before Owen and the boys do their Christmas card photos session!

Owen and Gwen were going to take the boys to the mall to go see Santa “TK, and Buck go get your Christmas sweater on and Mateo your sweater is in my room.” Owen told the boys who said ok when they went to go get changed into their Christmas sweaters when TK’s sweater had an elf on it, Buck had a gingerbread man, and Mateo’s sweater had penguin because after the boys go and see Santa Owen is going to take Christmas card photos with the boys when they were going to to do two different cards one for general people with just Owen, Buck and TK and two for close friends and family with Mateo because Owen is being very cautious with any pictures with Mateo in them because Mateo is still in foster care so they have to keep his identity a secret. 

After the boys were ready and their hair was fixed the family headed to the mall “does everyone have their lists with them?” Gwen asked when the older boys said yes while Mateo said no “I didn’t know what to ask for.” Mateo told the family “it’s ok buddy, you don’t have to know.” Owen told Mateo who said ok when they arrived at the mall as the boys held a hand with a parent when they crossed the street as Owen was holding Mateo and Buck’s hand while Gwen held TK’s hand “do we need to go to the bathroom before we get in line?” Owen asked when the boys said no when they got in line as it wasn’t as long as during the weekend “next please!” The elf said when the boys stepped up “hey boys! Have you boys been good this year?” Santa asked when Buck and TK said yes when Mateo hung back a bit with Owen and Gwen “go on buddy, it’s ok.” Owen said when Mateo did as the boys smiled at Mateo who was talking to Santa “now do you boys know what you want for Christmas?” Santa asked when the older boys said yes when they pulled their list out “I don’t have much on my list because I got adopted this year so that was my biggest wish.” Buck told Santa who smiled at Buck “That is one thing I can’t bring to you Evan.” Santa told Buck who smiled. 

TK pulled his list out and smiled before he looked at Mateo “I’m good Santa I have everything I needed this year but Mateo has a big list of things that he would like to ask for.” TK told Santa who smiles at Mateo “I do?” Mateo asked when the boys shook their heads “Mateo wants a few new lego sets, a few toy cars, a new helmet,a bike, and clothes.”TK told Santa who smiled at Mateo who smiled back “I also want to be adopted just like Buck.” Mateo told Santa “There are some things Santa can do but being adopted isn’t one of them.” Santa told Mateo who shook his head “one day I’m going to be adopted into this family and I know it’s not going to be anytime soon but I’m just so happy to have a family who cares about me.” Mateo said which made everyone smile at Mateo “hey Santa , why did you skip my house the last few years?” Mateo asked when Owen looked at Santa and shook his head “I didn’t buddy, I tried my best to leave you a present but you were in so many houses that Santa lost track of where you were staying.” Mateo said ok when Owen smacked his own head as he did call a head to give a head up but I guess that they didn’t tell the guy who was Santa about Mateo “do you want to take a picture with me before you guys go?” Santa asked when the boys said ok as they sat next to Santa and took a few pictures one with Mateo in them and the other with just TK and Buck “Merry Christmas and stay good!” Santa told the boys when they left and headed to the car. 

Owen looked at Mateo who seemed very quiet more then normal “you good T?” Owen asked when Mateo shook his head “so he did leave me a present but I didn’t get a present.” Mateo said when Owen felt bad for his son “I know buddy, I’m sorry that Santa didn’t tell you that, but don’t worry because I’m going to make Christmas very fun for all of us!” Owen said as Mateo said ok when they headed to where they were meeting the photographer for the photos. 

Mateo was hanging out with Gwen while Owen and the boys were getting their Christmas card photos done while Mateo looked very sad “hey buddy it’s ok, Owen is going to make Christmas very special for you and Buck.” Gwen told Mateo who shook his head “I know.” Mateo said when Owen walked over as he smiled at Mateo “are you ready to get your photo taken?” Owen asked when Matoe shook his head when he jumped in with the boys and got his photo taken “Hey do you want to take some with TK? I paid for a family session and since I have to be very particular about Mateo I was thinking that you and TK could have some pictures so you can have an updated photo of our son.” Owen said when Gwen said ok as Mateo was done with the photo when he walked over to Owen and hugged him when Owen lifted Mateo onto his arms and rubbed his back “it’s ok buddy we’re almost done then we can go home and we can cuddle on the couch.” Owen said as Mateo said ok when Gwen and TK were getting their photos taken “Owen do you want to do a photo with the boys?” Gwen asked when Owen said ok as he took Mateo and stood with the older boys around him as everyone was getting tired at this point which was kinda good because it was close to the end of the session so everyone could go home and relax after a long day. 

Mateo feel asleep on the way home from the photo session when Owen cardied Mateo inside and placed Mateo on the couch while the older boys got changed out of their sweaters and into sweaters and a hoodie for TK and Buck wore a shirt and shorts “Buck put pants on it’s cold out!” Owen yelled upstairs when he knew Buck’s style of comfort clothes and Buck would wear shorts all day long even in the winter when it’s very cold outside.

Owen joined Mateo on the couch when Mateo was half awake so Owen carefully moved Mateo so his head was laying in Owen’s lap when Owen placed a blanket on Mateo when the boys came downstairs and turned on the Xbox “not to loud your brother is asleep and we don’t want to wake him up.” Owen told the boys who said ok when they played their game “TK I’m very proud of you for letting T have your Christmas list.” Owen said when TK smiled at his dad “I don’t really need anything and I knew that Mateo had a hard time coming up with things he wanted so over time I mentally kept a list in my head and wrote it down before we left.” TK told Owen who smiled at his son “mommy is also very proud of you baby.” Gwen told TK who smiled at his parents when they were going to let Gwen and TK go on a little date just the two of them so it didn’t feel like everything Christmas related was with Owen and the other boys. 

Owen felt movement from Mateo who slowly woke up and looked around at everyone “did you have a good nap?” Owen asked when Mateo shook his head “what’s for dinner?” Buck asked when he was getting hungry “I’m going to order some food so go look in the menu draw and tell me where you want to order from and you both have to agree on a place because I’m not going to order from five different places so you two can get what you want.” Owen told the boys when Mateo was sitting up on the couch now “what are they doing?” Mateo asked when he rubbed his eyes “they are looking at all the different take out menus that deliver to the house so we can have dinner.” Owen told Mateo who said ok when he cuddled into Owen who rubbed Mateo’s back as Buck was holding the Mexican food menu and TK was holding the sushi menu “one or the other.” Owen told the boys when they played rock, paper, scissors,shot and picked Mexican when Owen helped Mateo read the menu when he did wish that they had pictures of what they had on the menu to show what the food looks like as Mateo won’t eat certain foods. 

After Owen for all the orders written down Owen called it in “can I place an order for delivery?” Owen asked when he placed the boys orders first “can I have a kids chicken tacos, a kid’s quesadilla with steak, and a kids beef tacos please.” Owen started when the waitress said ok before Owen ordered “can I also please have a chicken taco salad and a grilled chicken sandwich without the bread?” Owen asked when they put the order in “what do you three what to drink?” Owen asked when TK and Buck got Coke and Mateo got Sprite as the food should be at the house in half an hour as Owen said thank you before he hung up. 

Once dinner arrived Mateo had the table set and the older boys put their game away since after dinner TK and Buck had to do extra chores for a mess they didn’t get cleaned up so as a punishment they have to clean up the downstairs living room and make it look nice before they can go to bed “why do we have to do an extra chore again?” Buck asked Owen “because I asked you and TK to clean up your legos while I was putting Mateo to bed but you didn’t so now you two have to put all the blankets back, put the controls where they belong and make sure all the cups, plates, and silverware that you two ate off of this week when I was being very nice about you two eating in from of the TV gets put in the dishwasher.” Owen said as Mateo felt bad as if it was his problem that his brothers got in trouble when Owen was dealing with him after a hard day so Mateo went to bed a little bit earlier than he normally would “my fault.” Mateo said when Owen looked at Mateo “no buddy it wasn’t your fault, your brothers know that I want the house to be a decent level of clean and they didn’t do a good job of it so now they have to pay the price for not cleaning up when they were asked to.” Owen said as he never wanted Mateo to feel like he having a bad day makes everything his fault. 

Owen passed out the food when Buck got his chicken tacos, TK and his quacadilla and Mateo and his tacos when Owen ate his grilled chicken and Gwen had her tacos salad when the boys talked about Santa and his Santa wasn’t very nice this year when Mateo shook his head “maybe he was having a hard day with flying from the north pole back to Austin.” Owen told the boys when Mateo was eating his taco but stopped eating as Mateo thought the taco tasted funny. “I don’t like it.” Mateo told Owen who took a bite and thought the same thing “is all your food tasting ok?” Owen asked when the boys said yes when Owen told Mateo that he’ll find him some food to eat and he can be done with the tacos as Owen called the restaurant and they explained that the beef was in the freezer and could be freezer burn and they have a free meal the next time they come in for the inconvenience of the food. 

After dinner Mateo went to the master bedroom and watched some TV before he got ready for bed while TK and Buck cleaned up the living room before they went upstairs and got ready for bed as Buck took a shower first then TK and finally Mateo who took a bath. Owen went to check on the boys when all the boys where in the master bedroom watching tv all dressed for bed when Owen read to the boys and said ok as Gwen came in and said goodnight also “I want extra chores also.” Mateo said when Owen looked at Mateo “why do you want extra chores buddy?” Owen asked when Mateo shrugged his shoulder “the boys got extra chores to do so I want extra chores also.” Mateo told Owen who said ok when he was going to do extra chores for Mateo but it will be something that Mateo needs to do like practice reading cards or writing his spelling words out a few extra times a week. 

Mateo stayed in the bed when he fell asleep and Owen didn’t have the heart to move Mateo to his own bed so Owen let Mateo sleep in the big bed as Owen knew that Mateo was his son and Elizabeth was very good about letting Owen know when things changed with Mateo and Owen also knew that Mateo sleeping in the same bed wasn’t ideal but for one night it was ok. 

Owen wanted to take the boys on a vacation after Mateo was adopted so they could celebrate everything good that went on in their lives the past year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave me some good vacation ideas that won’t cost a lot of money and is’t Disney related. 
> 
> Thank you!


	20. Quick question!

So TK had an iPod nano that he got a while ago because you know only child. I was thinking about Owen getting Buck and Mateo one also but I don’t know how that would look? 

Thought? Thank you!


	21. TK and Gwen’s little date!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gwen takes TK to do some Christmas things that they normally do when TK would visit Gwen in Portland

Owen has Buck and Mateo with him while Gwen has TK who she was going to take to do some fun Christmas things like going ice skating, TK picking out one of his presents that Gwen will wrap and put under the tree with the rest of TK’s presents, lunch and a movie “are you excited to spend the day with me?” Gwen asked when TK shook his head yes when he smiled at his mom “where do you want to go first baby?” Gwen asked when TK thought about it “can we go ice skating first?” TK asked when he loves going ice skating because he doesn’t need to use the walkers that a lot of younger kids use when they are learning how to ice skate. 

Owen and the other kids were out shopping for their weekly grocery trip when Mateo was holding Owen’s hand as they crossed the street when Buck was getting a cart “thank you buddy.” Owen said when Mateo was standing on the back of the cart “do you want to get in the cart or do you just want to stand on the back of the cart?” Owen asked when Mateo said inside the cart when Owen helped Mateo get inside the cart before they headed to get their shopping done. 

TK and Gwen made it to the ice skating rink that was downtown when TK smiles as Gwen held his hand when they walked inside “what is your shoe size baby?” Gwen asked when TK took his shoe off and looked inside the tag “I’m a size 8.” TK said when Gwen said ok when they stepped up to the skate rental counter “hey can we please get a kids size 8 and a size 7.” Gwen asked when the employee smiled and got their skates before Gwen paid for the rental of the skates and the wristbands so they could go skating “do you need a walker for your son?” Gwen looked down at TK “do you want a walker just in case? I know that you're getting better at skating.” Gwen said when TK told her no thank you “no thank you, but thank you for asking.” Gwen said when they headed to the bench and got their skates on before they headed to the rink as TK took his time so he didn’t slip when he first got on the rink as he held onto the wall just till he could get his balance “you good baby?” Gwen asked when TK shook his head yes before he let go of the wall pushed off and started skating when Gwen smiled at her son before Gwen joined TK 

After TK and Gwen were done skating they headed to the car when TK worked up an appetite for lunch so they headed to lunch when TK looked a little tired from skating when Gwen smiled at TK “you good baby?” Gwen asked TK who nodded his head “where do you want to go for lunch?” Gwen asked TK “daddy likes to take us to St.Antony it’s a family friendly Italian restaurant with some sensory friendly options for Mateo and Buck.” TK told Gwen who smiled “do you like your daddy adopting your cousin and friend?” Gwen asked TK who smiled “yeah always wanted siblings but daddy said no and you said no so it’s nice to have Buck and T in my life and we become best friends and best brothers.” TK told Gwen who smiled at TK “where do you want to go without your brothers?” Gwen asked “can we go to Chili’s?” TK asked when Gwen said sure when they headed to Chili’s when TK filled his mom in about his friends “mommy can we go get Carlos a present also?” TK asked when Gwen said sure as Carlos was the first true friend that TK has had after a while when in the past TK had friends but he’s never talked so much about a friend like he talks about Carlos and all the boys seem to get along and never exclude anyone when they play together. 

After lunch when Gwen let TK get any desert that he wanted when TK got an ice cream sundae “do you want to go see a movie or go shopping because we have time to do both.” Gwen asked TK “can we please go shopping then go see the movie?” TK asked when Gwen said sure when they headed to the local Toys R Us when Gwen let’s TK pick out one of his presents and TK is going to pick something out for Carlos “what does Carlos like to play with?” Gwen asked when she'd only heard about Carlos and never met him “Carlos likes to play Star Wars, Harry Potter, video games. Carlos is the youngest of his family so there is a huge age gap between him and his siblings.” TK told Gwen who said ok “do you want to get Carlos a toy and a video game?” Gwen asked “I don’t want Carlos and his family to think that they have to get me two presents and I think they are going to get Buck and Mateo a Christmas present also.” TK told Gwen who smiled at her son “sure baby, mommy understands so why don’t you pick out the toy that you want to get Carlos and then we’ll get your present.” Gwen told TK who said ok when TK looked at all the toys when TK remembered that Carlos has a small Lego collecting when Owen asked Rosa if they were going to get Carlos some Legos so that they wouldn’t buy the same set when they were going to buys Carlos the Hogwarts Express as a family present so bedside that set the boys can get Carlos any set that he wants “Carlos wanted the Hogwarts castle but that’s to much money for a friends gift.” TK told Gwen who smiled at TK “daddy said that a friend's gift should be $25 or under.” TK told his mom “I understand baby, maybe Santa is going to bring Carlos his castle as his Santa present.” Gwen said when she didn’t want to cause any problems with Owen because Gwen loves to spoil the boys while Owen does also but has a limit like the boys gets one big present as their Santa presents and one present from Owen and Gwen who ever’s house TK is staying at because some years TK stays with Owen and then Gwen will come celebrate Christmas as a family when TK was younger. 

Gwen took TK to the movies after TK picked out the presents when TK got Carlos a Harry Potter set of the Burrow it was a little bit over budget but Gwen said that it was ok to go a little over the set budget for a present for a best friend. Gwen took TK to go see “Hoodwink” because TK enjoyed the previews and it looked funny. 

Gwen got TK a snack pack with a soda “mommy will give you more popcorn if you run out.” Gwen told TK when Owen likes to keep the boys sugar intact to not that much but he also understands on special occasions he’s a little bit more understanding so TK getting soda while watching a movie is ok. 

After the movie Gwen took TK back to the house when the boys were playing in the front yard when TK was showing Mateo how to ride his scooter when TK hopped out of the car and went to go play with the boys when TK grabbed his helmet and skateboard “can we go play at the park?” TK asked when Owen shook his head “make sure that you have your phone!” Owen said as the older boys went off “Mateo do you want to go?” Owen asked when Mateo said no so he stayed home and played in the backyard “how was your day with our son?” Owen asked when Gwen filled Owen in on what they did “TK wanted to get Carlos a Christmas present so I let TK pick something out.” Gwen said when she showed Owen the Lego set “that’s great! We can take Buck and Mateo to get Carlos something before we take them over to Carlos’ house because Carlos got the boys a present also.” Owen told Gwen when they headed inside and wrapped some presents before they put them under the tree “daddy?” Mateo asked when Owen looked at Mateo “hey buddy what’s up?” Owen asked “I was climbing the tree and I scraped my arm a little bit.” Mateo told Owen who grabbed the first aid kit before he helped Mateo get cleaned up “all better?” Owen asked when Mateo said yes before Mateo went to go play in the backyard. 

TK and Buck returned when they put their toys away before they headed inside as Owen was sitting on the couch with Mateo who looked upset “what’s wrong with Mateo?” The boys asked “he just thought of something that happened to him so we’re just going to cuddle on the couch and I’m going to let him cry and get all his emotions out.” Owen told the boys when they sat on the couch and hugged Mateo also which made Owen smile at his boys who are always there for one another when they are having a hard day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: the boys make gingerbread houses and give a Carlos his presents! 
> 
> Also please help me with some ideas for Santa presents for the boys   
>  It could new video games system   
> Lego sets   
> Or anything that you guys could think of 
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	22. Gingerbread house and gift exchange!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Owen and the boys decorate their gingerbread houses before they go over and have dinner with the Reyes’ family and have the boys exchange Christmas presents.

Owen got the boys some gingerbread houses that they can decorate as Mateo needed help when Gwen helped Mateo as Buck and TK smiled at Mateo when Owen was on the phone with his parents who wanted to buy the boys their Christmas presents and Owen didn’t know what to tell them since Owen already got the boys their presents “mom I know that you like to spoil TK for Christmas and his birthday but I have three boys now so I’m doing a better job of trying to stay on a budget.” Owen said when the boys looked at each other “your dad sounds mad.” Gwen said when she knew how Owen’s parents were when it comes to TK as he is their only grandson “grandma always gets me something that I like.” TK told Mateo and Buck “fine mom I’ll have TK call you later on to tell you what he wants for Christmas.” Owen said when he hung up and walked over to the boys “TK can you call your grandparents later on today so they know what you want for Christmas?” Owen asked when TK said sure when he looked at his brothers “I’ll only call them if Mateo and Buck can talk to them also.” TK said when his parents said ok when they knew in the past TK’s grandparents would always get TK an expensive present. 

TK talked to his grandparents when TK didn’t know what he wanted as he had so many things already “What about Mateo or Buck?” Grandma Strand asked “dad she’s asking about Buck and Mateo.” TK said when Owen looked at TK “she did ask what to buy all you boys.” Owen said when Buck and Mateo smiled at each other when they were under the table playing with their toys “grandma wants to spoil you guys and she doesn’t care if there are three of you guys.” Owen told the boys “what do I ask for?” TK asked when he didn’t want his grandparents to spend a lot of money on himself “how about you and your brothers talk about what you want and you can call grandpa and I later on ok baby?” Grandma Strand said when TK said ok when TK told his grandparents that he loves them before TK hung up and went to join his brothers. 

TK,Buck, and Mateo talked about what they wanted for Christmas when Mateo didn’t know what he wanted as he already felt very blessed from Owen,Gwen and the boys “what about a new video game system?” Buck asked when TK looked at Buck “too much money.” TK told Buck “oh yeah.” Buck said when he thought about it some more “Grandma said that she can buy you guys individual presents or one big group presents and there is no budget.” Owen told the boys “I want a new game system.” Buck told Owen “what about you Ty?” Owen asked TK “I already have an XBox and an iPod.” TK told Owen.

“Mateo won’t say.” Buck told Owen “what do you want buddy?” Owen asked Mateo “I don’t know, I already have everything I want for Christmas.” Mateo said when Owen smiled at Mateo “what are grandparents?” Mateo asked when he never knew his “they are mine or Gwen’s parents and they love to see you guys when we either come to visit or they come to visit and they love to spoil you with presents for either your birthday or Christmas.” Owen said when Mateo smiled “I want a new video game system also.” Mateo told Owen who said ok “Buck what game system do you want?” Owen asked “Gameboy!” Buck said when Owen smiled at his son “T, what do you want?” Owen asked Mateo who thought about it “Gameboy?” Mateo said when he didn’t know what that was but Buck seemed happy so it must be a good game. 

After a while TK and Mateo finally decided on what they wanted for Christmas when Owen called his parents and told them what the boys wanted as they said that they will send the presents to Autins and they will be in by the time Christmas is here. 

Gwen was going home in a few days so they were going to take Buck and Mateo to Target so they could get Mateo a present to give to Carlos when the families were going to have dinner then do a gift exchange with the boys. Mateo fell asleep before they headed to the store so Owen careful carried Mateo to the car and placed Mateo in his booster seat and buckled Mateo in. Mateo was awake by the time they got to Target when Mateo held Owen’s hand when they crossed the street and headed inside and right back to the toy section when Buck and Mateo picked out their presents as Owen and Gwen was going to help wrap the presents before they headed over to they Reyes’ house when the boys were very excited to see Carlos and celebrate Christmas with their friends.

Carlos was bouncing off the walls today when he was very excited to see his friends and exchanged presents with them “mijo you have to calm down before your friends get here.” Rosa told Carlos “but mama I’m so excited to see my friends!” Carlos said when Romans and Clair smiled at their little brother “do you want to come to the store with us.” Roman asked when Carlos said ok “be good for your brother and sister.” Jacob told his youngest son “ok papi! I’ll be good for my brother and sister!” Carlos told his dad when Roman and Claire took Carlos to the car. 

Roman was holding Carlos’ hand when they crossed the street as Carlos was very excited but calmed down a little bit as they walked inside and grabbed a cart when Carlos was riding on the back of the cart while Roman pushed the cart throughout the store “what do we need?” Carlos asked “we’re just going to pick up a few craft things for you and your friends to do when they come over.” Claire said when Carlos said ok as they got some ornaments kits and some construction paper so the boys can make Christmas cards and snowflakes to place on the windows. 

Owen, Gwen and the boys packed everything up and headed over to the Reyes’ house when the boys talked about what they are going to do with Carlos as Owen smiled when he loved to see Buck and Mateo come out of their shells “remember to be on our best behavior and use our manners.” Owen reminded the boys who said ok as they got out of the car and headed to the door when TK rang the doorbell “hey boys! We’re so glad that you boys came over to celebrate Christmas with us!” Jacob said as the boys walked in and hung their jackets up and took their shoes off before they went upstairs to the playroom where Carlos was as he smiled at the boys when they all hugged “we got you boys some craft kits so you boys can do something before dinner.” Roman said when the boys smiled “thank you Roman!” TK said when the other boys did when Owen smiled as he heard the boys talking and catching up while the adults caught up with each other “when do you go back Gwen?” Rosa asked “I have to go back on Christmas Eve so tomorrow we’re going to do Christmas with the boys so I can give them my presents.” Gwen said when Owen smiled at his ex-wife “it’s been very fun having Gwen come and spend some time with us and help celebrate Christmas.” Owen said when Gwen smiled at Owen. 

Rosa set up a table for the boys when they talked as Mateo was sitting with Owen “hey buddy don’t you want to go sit with your brothers and Carlos?” Owen asked when Mateo shook his head “only if you want me to go sit with them.” Mateo said when Owen looked at Mateo “I don’t mind buddy, you can always sit with me.” Owen said as Mateo said ok when Rosa served dinner of tamales, rice, and beans when the older boys ate them and loved them while Mateo looked at them and didn’t taste them “what’s wrong mijo?” Rosa asked Mateo “nothing,I’m just not hungry.” Mateo said when Owen and Gwen looked at Mateo who didn’t eat much today because he knew that they were going to come over for dinner and he didn’t want to ruin his appetite “are you sure baby?” Owen asked when Mateo shook his head “maybe we can take some home and if T is hungry then he’ll feel more comfortable eating at home.” Owen told Jacob and Rosa when Owen didn’t know why Mateo didn’t like tamales but he figured it had something to do with his past. 

After dinner the boys helped clean up before everyone sat around the Christmas tree and the adults handed the boys their presents “here is your present from Buck, Carlos.” Owen said when Carlos said thank you as he opened the present and saw the Lego set when he smiled “mama! It’s the night bus!” Carlos said when Rosa smiled at Carlos “thank you Buck!” Carlos said when he hugged Buck as Buck opened his present from Carlos when Buck smiled “I know that you like Harry Potter also so we got you the whole book set that your dad can help you read!” Carlos told Buck who smiled “thank you Carlos!” TK said when he hugged Carlos 

“Mateo this is from Carlos.” Rosa told Mateo who smiled as he opened his present “it’s a dinosaur Lego set and you can make three different dinosaurs in one!” Carlos told Mateo who smiled “thank you Carlos!” Mateo said when TK and Buck smiled at Mateo and Carlos “this is from Mateo and he spent so much time looking at all the different Lego sets.” Gwen told Carlos who smiled as Mateo got Carlos a new Spider-Man Lego set “thank you Mateo!” Carlos said when Mateo smiled at his friend when they hugged.

“Last but not least TK Carlos spent so much time looking at all the toys till he came across the perfect one.” Rosa told TK when TK opened the present and smiled as Carlos got TK a Harry Potter interactive wand with a spell book “thank you Carlos!” TK said when they hugged for a while as the parents smiled at the boys “ok one last present.” TK said when he handed Carlos his present when Carlos smiled at his new Lego set “thank you TK!” Carlos said when all the boys seem to enjoy their gift exchange with one another. 

After a few hours of handling out the family headed back to the house when the boys brought their presents in and placed them in their rooms when Owen smiled at all the different toys that the boys got when the boys will have three Christmas by the time they go back to school “boys go get your showers done so we can watch a movie before bed.” Owen said as the older boys went upstairs while Mateo hung back “hey buddy what’s up?” Owen asked when Mateo shrugged his shoulders “I’m hungry.” Mateo told Owen who looked in the fridge “we have leftovers from dinner if you want those?” Owen asked Mateo “no thank you I’m good.” Mateo told Owen “daddy can make you anything if you are hungry.” Owen told Mateo who shrugged “why didn’t you eat dinner tonight buddy?” Gwen asked when she was sitting on the couch “I don’t like them and I was forced to eat them before so I don’t like them.” Mateo told Owen who felt bad when Mateo didn’t tell Owen everything about his past “well your brothers will eat the leftovers so don’t worry about it ok?” Owen asked when Mateo said ok when Owen smiled at Mateo. 

All the boys got dressed for bed when they grabbed their blankets and made a little nest in the living room on the floor when Owen placed a movie “who wants to watch either Elf or The polar Express?” Owen asked when the boys picked Elf so Owen put it in the DVD player and smiled as Mateo was cuddling with Gwen who smiled at Owen as Mateo isn’t a huge fan of strangers so for Mateo to cuddle with Gwen in a short amount of time is a huge improvement. 

After the movie the boys went to their rooms when Owen and Gwen wrapped presents for the boys because they were going to do Christmas with Gwen tomorrow “thank you for helping me with the boys while you were here.” Owen told Gwen who smiled “yeah it’s no problem I love all the boys as if they were my own so hopefully this summer the boys can come to Portland and spend a few weeks with me before they have to come back for school.” Gwen said when Owen smiled “I’m pretty sure Buck and TK would have so much fun in Portland I’m just not sure how Mateo would handle being away for me for a long period of time even if he’s with his brothers and you.” Owen told Gwen “he’s very scared isn’t he?” Gwen asked Owen who shook his head “yeah, I have the boys go talk to a therapist once a week and it seems to be helping but Mateo is still holding a lot in about his past and I know it’s going to take time for him to understand that not all adults are going to hurt him like his biological parents did.” Owen said as Gwen frowned at Owen “you are doing a great job with the boys I can see improvement with Buck and Mateo in the short time I have been here with you guys.” Gwen told Owen who smiled when they finished the last of the presents and stuck them under the tree before they went to bed because once they wake up the boys will be so excited to celebrate Christmas with Gwen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: Christmas with Gwen!


	23. Christmas with Gwen!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys celebrate Christmas with Gwen!

The boys woke up when TK and Buck smiled as Mateo was still asleep in his bed. “Mateo woke up it’s Christmas with my mom.” TK told Mateo who looked at Owen who was still asleep “dad said not to wake them up and Ed can’t wake anyone up.” Buck told TK “I think that everyone is already up.” TK told Buck “I think you boys need to go downstairs and watch a movie before breakfast.” Owen told the boys with a smile as he knew the boys were very excited about celebrating Christmas with Gwen. 

After Gwen and Owen woke up Owen made the boys a special breakfast of peppermint pancakes with bacon and hot chocolate. After the boys at their breakfast the boys sat around the tree when Owen and Gwen sat on the couch watching the boys open their stocking when Mateo looked so excited just for his stocking when Owen smiled at his youngest son who was just so humble with the smaller things that he is giving “thank you Gwen!” Mateo and Buck said when Gwen smiled at the boys as TK hugged his mom “ok go put your stocking near the stairs then come back and we can open presents.” Owen told the boys who said ok as TK and Buck sat on the floor while Mateo sat on the couch next to Owen who smiled at the little boy “ok here is how we’re going to pass out presents, you boy will pick a number between one and three and who ever gets number one will go first.” Gwen told the boys who said ok as Gwen had a hat with papers inside as the boys picked a piece of paper that was folded in half. 

After all the boys got their papers Gwen told the boys to open them “I got 2!” TK said when Buck got three and Mateo got number one so Mateo got to go first when Owen smiled as Mateo took his time opening the present as he got a new board game when Mateo said thank you as TK went next when he got clothes and Buck got Legos. Gwen smiled when she watched the boys open their presents as Mateo seemed happy with all his presents. “What do you say boys?” Owen asked when all the kids said thank you to Gwen and gave her hugs. 

After the boys opened their presents the boys got ready for the day when Gwen was going to take the boys to do something just the four of them while Owen was going to run to the fire station to do some paperwork and help plan the Christmas party that Owen was going to have for everyone at the station and their families. 

Mateo looked sad that Owen wasn’t going with them but TK and Buck did third best to help Mateo understand that Owen is going to be home when they get home “you boys have fun with Gwen!” Owen said when the boys smiled as they left the house and headed to the mall as Gwen was going to take the boys to paint some pottery at “Color Me Mine.” As TK has been there before when he was younger but Buck and Mateo has never been before so it was going to be their first time “do we have a budget?” TK asked when he knows that some of the pieces can get very expensive “you each can get up to $50 for the pottery.” Gwen told the boys when they said ok as they walked in as TK and Buck looked around while Mateo sat at the table as Gwen looked at Mateo “don’t you want to paint something sweetie?” Gwen asked when Mateo looked up “you already got me a lot of presents for Christmas I don’t want to take anymore from you.” Mateo said when Gwen felt bad “Mateo, honey this is part of your Christmas present, I want to do something nice so all three of you have something special to put in your rooms.” Gwen said when Mateo said ok as he looked around at the different pottery and found a race car piggy bank which Mateo smiled at when Mateo was very careful and brought it over to the table “great choose buddy!” Gwen said with a smile as the boys painted and talked as TK painted a Harry Potter figure, and Buck painted a Baseball piggy bank. 

After the boys were done painted Gwen payed for the boys when she said that Owen would bring the boys by to pick up their pottery when it’s ready “are you boys hungry? We can stop for lunch on the way home.” Gwen said as the boy said ok when they headed to lunch when Mateo was playing with his tooth “is your tooth loos buddy?” Gwen asked as Mateo stopped playing with his tooth “sorry.” Mateo said when the boys looked at Mateo “there isn’t anything to be sorry about? I know that you boys had a lot of loose teeth over the years and the tooth fairy had brought you guys money for your teeth.” Gwen said as TK and Buck looked at Mateo “mommy, we don’t think that Mateo had ever had an encounter with the tooth fairy.” TK told Gwen who felt bad when she sometimes forgot how the older boys may have experienced things that Mateo hasn’t liked the tooth fairy “what’s the tooth fairy?” Mateo asked when he looked sad “she is a magical fairy that flies around and collects all the boys and girls teeth that had fallen out after the kids put the tooth under their pillow.” Gwen told Mateo “I just threw my teeth out.” Mateo told everyone who looked sad “how loose is your tooth?” Buck asked when Mateo showed Buck “can you push it with your tongue?” TK asked when Mateo tried as his tooth was very loose but not about to fall out just yet “if you keep working at your tooth buddy then you could get a visit from the tooth fairy.” Gwen said when Mateo said ok as he smiled and worked a little bit more on his tooth. 

On the way home Mateo worked on his tooth and got it to the point when it was ready to come out as Owen smiled at his boys “daddy Mateo has a very loose tooth!” Buck told Owen who smiled at his youngest son “is that so?” Owen asked when Mateo showed Owen his tooth “do you want me to see if I can help you?” Owen asked when Mateo looked scared “it’s so close buddy you won’t even feel a thing.” Owen told Mateo who said ok when they walked inside and Owen helped Mateo onto the counter when Owen grabbed a paper towel and had Mateo hold it to his mouth and see if he can get his tooth out as Mateo worked very hard on getting his tooth out when Owen could tell it was so close to coming out but he also didn’t want to scare Mateo if he pulled it “daddy is so good at helping get teeth out without hurting.” TK told Mateo who said ok when Owen helped work the tooth when Mateo closed his eyes as Owen smiled “hey T, open your eyes.” Mateo did when Owen showed Matoe his tooth as Mateo smiled “I didn’t even feel a thing!” Mateo told Owen who smiled “now let’s get some water to help rinse your mouth out and you are good to go buddy!” Owen told Mateo when Buck handed the cup over as Mateo rinsed his mouth out “go put this under your pillow!” Owen told Mateo who said ok when Buck and Mateo headed upstairs when TK hung back “dad, this is Mateo’s first tooth fairy visit.” TK told Owen “daddy will make it extra special then TK.” Owen said when he smiled at Gwen “Mateo said sorry when I asked if his tooth was loose.” Gwen told Owen “yeah Mateo says sorry a lot about things that are not his fault.” Owen said when he felt bad for his younger son. 

After a while the boys came downstairs when Owen made dinner as the boys told Owen all about their day with Gwen when Owen smiled at his boys “you guys sounded like you had a great day with Gwen!” Owen said as he smiled “what was your favorite present?” Owen asked “I like going to Color Me Mine!” Mateo said when he smiled at Gwen “I just like that mom got to come see us for Christmas!” TK said when he smiled at Gwen “what about you buddy?” Owen asked when Buck thought about it “I like seeing Mateo being happy and enjoying Christmas with the family.” Buck said as everyone smiled “I had so much fun getting to know Buck and Mateo and seeing my son so happy with his dad in a new town because I was a little bit scared that TK wouldn’t make any friends.” Gwen told the group “I felt the same way but Carlos has become more than a friend. He has become an extended family member and his family is so much fun and we get along so well.” Owen said when Gwen smiled. 

After dinner the boys watched a Christmas movie before bed when Mateo was starting to fall asleep on the couch as Owen smiled at Mateo “it’s only 8:00 and he’s almost asleep.” Owen said when Gwen smiled “the boys did wake Mateo up very early this morning because they were so excited to celebrate Christmas with me.” Gwen said as Owen smiled “yeah they normally sleep till 8:30 but this morning they woke up at 6:30.” Owen said as the older boys smiled at their little brother “don’t worry after this movie all the boys will be asleep and I’ll have to carry all of them upstairs.” Owen told Gwen “why don’t we put the boys in Mateo’s room and turn the TV on let them watch their movie so if they do fall asleep you don’t have to break your back just bring them upstairs.” Gwen told Owen who said ok “do you boys want to go watch a movie in Mateo’s room?” Owen asked when the boys said sure as they ran upstairs and got in bed as Owen placed Mateo in the center of the big bed “night boys I’ll see you in the morning!” Gwen said as the boys said goodnight as they all looked tired for a very fun day.


	24. The Broken Lamp!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All the boys were board on Christmas break so they decided to play ball in the house and things don’t go as planed when all the boys are scared of how Owen is going to react when he comes home from work.

Owen was at work when Gwen was watching the boys when tomorrow Gwen goes home. Buck and TK where awake when Mateo was still asleep when he had a hard time getting any sleep last night when Owen let Mateo sleep in instead of getting the boys up before he left for work “ok so your dad is going to be home by 5 and I was thinking that we could make him dinner.” Gwen told the older boys when Buck and TK said ok when they were playing the Xbox “make sure that your game isn’t too loud because Mateo is still asleep and we don’t want to wake him up.” Gwen told the boys who said ok when they made sure that the volume was very low. 

Mateo woke up as he walked downstairs and saw the boys still on the couch when Gwen smiled at Mateo “morning sweetie how did you sleep?” Gwen asked when Mateo said good as he sat on the couch next to Buck who smiled at his little brother “do you want to play?” Buck asked when Mateo said sure as Buck handed the controller over as TK showed Mateo how to play the game. 

Halfway thru the day the boys got board when Owen told the boys that they could go play at the park after lunch when Gwen wasn’t sure as Mateo wasn’t going to the park and Gwen wanted to keep all the boys in the same place “how about after your dad gets home from work we can all go to the park after dinner.” Gwen said when the boys said ok when they picked up a ball and threw it to each other “boys play in the backyard if you want to play with the ball.” Gwen said as the boys went outside while Mateo stayed on the couch “don’t you want to play with the boys?” Gwen asked when Mateo said no “sweetie I understand that you are scared to go to the park but your brothers will make sure that you are safe.” Gwen told Mateo “it’s not that, my parents are very scary and they will do anything in their power to get me back even if Owen had full custody of me.” Mateo told Gwen “Mateo, if your parents do try to do anything please tell someone we want you to be safe.” Gwen told Mateo who said ok when he hugged Gwen. 

Buck and TK came back into the house when they were playing in the living room as TK threw the ball and it hit a lamp as Buck looked scared “dad is going to ground us forever if you break that lamp!” Buck told TK “dude relax it’s not like the lamp is broken it’s fine!” TK told Buck when TK launched the ball at Buck who missed and it smashed the lamp which made a very loud sound which made Mateo cover his ears “Tyler look what you did!” Buck told TK “Me? You should have caught that ball!” TK told Buck “Boys what was that sound?” Gwen asked when Mateo was thinking he’ll get in trouble even though he didn’t do anything.

“Why is Mateo crying? And what happens to the lamp?” Gwen asked as Buck lost his words as did TK “I’m so sorry!” Mateo said as Buck and TK looked at Mateo when they didn’t want him to take the blame for their mistake as Mateo is such a sweet kid and would never ever break anything or play ball in the house “Mateo sweetie what happens? I’m not mad if you tell me the truth.” Gwen said trying to calm Matoe down when Mateo told the whole story of how he broke the lamp by accident and the older boys had nothing to do with the lamp breaking “Mateo I want you to go to Owen’s room for 10 minutes and sit to think about what you did ok?” Gwen asked when Mateo said ok as he walked upstairs.

“Mom! It wasn’t Mateo who broke the lamp.” TK told Gwen who looked at TK “who broke the lamp then?” Gwen asked when Mateo was already upstairs in the master bedroom crying “I threw the ball to Buck thinking he’ll catch it but Buck didn’t so it hit the lamp I’m sorry mom!” TK told Gwen who looked at TK “I want you to go to your room and sit for 10 minutes and when your dad gets home I’ll tell him everything and you might be grounded for a little bit.” Gwen told TK who said when he headed to Buck’s room as Mateo was still crying which broke TK’s heart. 

Gwen went to talk to Mateo as he was still upset “hey baby, TK told me why really happened so you're not in trouble ok?” Gwen asked when Mateo looked up “I’m not?” Mateo asked when Gwen said no when Mateo looked confused “I alway take the blame for things, why did TK tell you the truth?” Mateo asked Gwen “because Mateo TK cares about you and he knows that he shouldn’t play ball in the house when things can get broken so you can come out now ok?” Gwen asked when Mateo said ok as he got up and went downstairs where Buck was sitting on the couch next to the broken lamp “this is all my fault! I told TK that we should bring the ball inside and I know that we can’t play in the house.” Buck said as Gwen heard this as it seemed like the older boys knew what they did was wrong but Gwen is still going to tell Owen when he gets home. 

Owen got home from work as all the boys looked scared “hey boys how was your day?” Owen asked as Mateo looked like he was going to cry again “it’s all my fault!” Mateo told Owen who looked shocked “hey buddy what is it all your fault?” Owen asked when Gwen walked over and told Owen the full story when Owen talked to the boys about responsibility as Owen held Mateo who was still crying “I threw the ball at Buck who didn’t catch it and I broke the lamp sad I’m so sorry!” TK said as Owen nodded his head “did your mom already talk to you about not playing ball in the house?” Owen asked when the boys said yes “Ok Buck and TK you two are grounded for the weekend so you can’t go to the park and no playing video games and T please stop crying it’s not your fault baby.” Owen said as the boys sakd ok when Owen comfort all the boys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you Awesome Panda for this idea!


	25. Christmas Eve!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s Christmas Eve and Gwen has to go back home so the boys are sad. 
> 
> Owen and the boys join the Reyes’ family at church for their Christmas Eve service. 
> 
> Owen and the boys have a chill night before they go to bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is a few days early but I rather be a head a little bit then behind.

Gwen was going home today at 2:30 so the family had the whole morning when all the boys hung around Gwen who was glad to get some last minute cuddle time with the boys “why do you have to go home?” Mateo asked Gwen who smiled at Mateo “because sweetie I live in Portland but I promise you boys that this summer you boys can come and spend a few weeks with me and we can explore Portland.” Gwen told Mateo who said ok when he looked sad “it’s ok buddy, I know that you boys were very excited about Gwen coming to visit and we had a great Christmas with and we are very good friends so we’ll see more of Gwen.” Owen told the boys who said ok “what time do we have to take mommy back to the airport?” TK asked Owen “we have to leave here to get your mom to the airport by 1:30 so mommy had enough time to get through security and to her gate on time.” Owen told TK who said ok as he hugged his mom. 

After a morning of just hanging out with Gwen it was time for Gwen to go home when all the boys got their shoes and jackets on before they headed to the car when all the boys got in the back seat with Mateo in his booster seat and buckled him in “are we ready to take Gwen back to the airport?” Owen asked the boys who said yes when they all looked sad. 

Gwen gave the boys hugs before she left for her gate “love you mommy.” TK told Gwen “love you to baby.” Gwen told TK before Gwen hugged Buck, Mateo and Owen “by Gwen!” Buck and Mateo said as Gwen smiled “let me know when you land so I know that you're safe.” Owen said as Gwen said ok “merry Christmas mommy!” TK told Gwen who hugged TK one last time before Gwen headed to security. 

Owen and the boys made it back to the house when tonight everyone is going to church with Carlos and his family for their Christmas Eve service “what time do we have to leave for church and what do we wear?” Buck asked when they don’t normally go to church but it was a special occasion “I think the family service is at 4:30 but let me double check with Rose and I think that you boys can wear jeans and a Christmas shirt tonight.” Owen said when the boys said ok when they went to go play with their toys. 

TK went to go check the mail when he saw three boxes from the grandparents as TK knew what they were as TK got excited “daddy! Grandma and grandpa sent their presents!” TK told Owen who smiled “hey buddy give those to daddy and he will put them under the tree.” Owen told TK who looked at his dad “what if they are wrapped?” TK asked Owen “what if they are not wrapped? Do you really want to spoil your Christmas presents from your grandparents?” Owen asked when TK said no as he handed the boxes over along with the rest of the mail when TK went upstairs to his room as Mateo was in his room taking a nap when Owen made sure to get blackout curtains for all the boys rooms just in case they took a nap during the day “boys please be quiet your brother is taking a nap before we go to church.” Owen told TK and Buck when Owen opened the boxes and saw that the presents were not wrapped as they did have a note of who gets what when Owen wrapped the presents and put them under the tree. 

Owen woke Mateo up an hour before they had to leave when Mateo looked very tired “how was your nap buddy?” Owen asked when Mateo said good when he went to the bathroom when Owen helped the boys pick their outfits out for the church service “tonight you guys can wear your Christmas pajamas when we get home from church and we can watch a movie before bed.” Owen told the boys who said ok when they got ready for church. 

Owen and the boys made it to church when Carlos was so excited to see his friends “Carlos please stay with us, we’ll see them when they get out of the car.” Jacob told Carlos when Carlos said ok as he took his dad's hand when they walked inside and saved a section for Owen and the boys “hey boys I love your Christmas shirts!” Rose told the boys who said thank you as TK and Buck sat next to Carlos when Mateo sat next to Owen “they have a children’s message if the boys want to go up when it’s time.” Rose told Owen who smiled “do you boys want to go up with Carlos for the children’s message?” Owen asked when the older boys said sure as Mateo stayed near Owen. 

Carlos and the boys went up for the children’s message when Owen was very proud of Mateo for going up with the boys “after we get back from my parents house do you think that the boys can spend the night before they go back to school?” Rose asked Owen who said sure “I’m not sure that Mateo will spend the night but I think he’ll have fun with the boys.” Owen said as Rose smiled when the boys got back to the row when Owen smiled as Mateo sat next to Owen who rubbed his head “I’m so proud of you buddy.” Owen said as Mateo looked up and smiled at Owen. 

After church the boys said goodbye to Carlos when they hugged everyone “do you boys want to have a sleepover with Carlos after we get back from his grandparents house?” Rose asked when the boys said sure “I’m not sure.” Mateo told Rose “it’s ok buddy you can spend the day with us and if you ever feel like you want to go home we can take you home.” Jacob told Mateo who said ok “we’re going to my grandparents house tonight to celebrate Christmas because we open presents on the 24th!” Carlos told the boys who looked at Owen “no we will open our presents tomorrow morning, Carlos opens his presents because it’s part of his culture.” Owen said when the boys said ok “Mateo did you used to open up on the 24th?” TK asked “I don’t want to talk about it.” Mateo told the boys when Owen knew where this was going to go “how about we go home and I’ll make dinner while you boys get your Santa letters ready to go.” Owen said as the boys said ok when they said goodby to the Reyes’ family. 

Owen and the boys got home from church when the boys got changed into their Christmas pajamas when Owen took a picture of the boys together before Owen made dinner when Owen wanted to do their normal Christmas dinner which is Chinese food that Owen either makes or orders “ok who wants daddy to order dinner?” Owen asked when TK and Buck raised their hands when Mateo didn’t care “Mateo do you want to order dinner?” Owen asked Mateo who said sure when Owen ordered enough food for all the boys “dinner should be here soon.” Owen said as the boys made their Santa cards “what do we say?” Mateo asked when Owen smiled as he helped Mateo write his Santa letter along with a plate of cookies and a glass of milk when Owen will have to eat some of the cookies in the morning before the boys wake up. 

After dinner the boys helped do the dishes before they sat on the couch as Owen put a Christmas movie on when Mateo looked tired “tomorrow is Christmas Day!” The older boys said when Owen smiles “yeah and we’re going to have a great day!” Owen said when he got a call from Gwen who told Owen that she made it home “TK your mom made it home!” Owen told TK who smiles at his dad “that’s good! I miss her but it was very good to see her.” TK told Owen who smiled as Mateo was sitting in Owen’s lap getting sleepy while the boys watched their movie. 

After the movie the boys went upstairs and brushed their teeth when Owen read to all the boys when Mateo was in his bed already asleep “tomorrow we need to make sure if Mateo needs to take a break we let him because it could be a very intense day.” Owen told the boys who said ok when they went to their room and got in beds when Owen said goodnight to each of the boys and kissed their heads “love you daddy!” Buck told Owen who smiled “love you too baby.” Owen told Buck before Owen walked over and kissed TK’s head. 

After Owen made sure that the boys were asleep Owen got the boys presents and put them under the tree before Owen went to bed as he knew that the older boys were going to be up very early in the morning and drag Mateo out of bed and into Owen’s room to wake Owen up.


	26. Christmas Day!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s Christmas Day so the boys are so excited to celebrate Christmas with Mateo who is a little hesitant to celebrate Christmas because of Christmas past.

Owen heard the boys up when he smiled “come on, daddy should be up soon!” TK said when he and Buck were on the way to Mateo’s room to wake up their little brother “Mateo wake up it’s Christmas time!” Buck said when TK smiled as Mateo looked at his brothers when they headed downstairs and saw that Santa left a note along with cookies that were eaten “Santa came!” TK said when Buck smiled at his brother when Mateo was sitting on the couch wrapped up in his blanket “daddy should be up soon.” TK told the boys when they stared at the tree. 

Owen walked downstairs as he saw the boys sitting on the couch “daddy!” TK said when he hugged his dad “morning boys! How did you sleep?” Owen asked “good when can we open presents?” TK and Buck asked “after breakfast we will do stocking and then presents.” Owen told the boys when the older boys helped make breakfast while Owen checked on Mateo “hey buddy if you ever need a break just let me know and we can take a break from opening Christmas presents.” Owen told Mateo who said ok when Owen smiled at his youngest son. 

TK and Buck helped make pancakes with Owen’s assistance so that no one gets burnt or starts a fire as Owen made the boys peppermint mocha pancakes with fruit and bacon with orange juice and milk “after breakfast we’ll do the dishes then it’s stocking and presents.” Owen told the boys when they said ok as Mateo looked a little sad about Christmas when Owen did his best to give Mateo the space that he needs but also be there to support Mateo when he needs cuddles or a break. 

After all the dishes where done the boys sat on the couch when Owen handed out the stocking as Mateo looked like he was getting very uncomfortable so Owen told the boys that they will take a break from Christmas and then come back when everyone is better as Mateo went upstairs to his room and lied down in his bed when he held his monkey in his arms and just cried as he hated his parents for being so abusive to him but he also missed them. 

Owen hated when he heard Mateo crying upstairs when he wanted to go comfort his son but Owen also knew that Mateo needed some time to process Christmas Day and what it means to be a part of a family.

“Dad?” TK asked when Owen smiles at TK “yeah buddy?” Owen asked when he saw his older boys looking sad “is Mateo going to be ok?” Buck asked when Owen sat the boys down on the couch “he’s going to have a hard day because it’s Christmas but if we take breaks then we’ll have a Christmas Day that everyone will enjoy.” Owen told the boys when they said ok.

“I wished that Mateo’s parents were not mean to him because now he’s sad.” Buck said as Owen rubbed Buck’s back when he smiled at his older boys who were caring about others “I know boys but daddy and us will do our best to help Mateo understand what Christmas means and what a family means.” Owen told the boys who said ok. 

Mateo came downstairs when Owen smiled at Mateo when Owen hugged Mateo “hey baby, if you are ready to open stocking then we can open stocking but if you need more time then let me know and we’ll take as long as you need.” Owen told Mateo “I can open stocking.” Mateo told Owen who said ok when the older boys smiled at Mateo as they opened their stocking from Owen. 

The boys put their stocking away before they returned to the couch and sat down as Owen handed each boy a present to open when Mateo went first as he smiles at his new hoodie with Spider-Man on it “thank you daddy.” Mateo told Owen who smiled “your welcome buddy!” Owen said when he smiled as TK and Buck opened their presents as Buck got a Lego set and TK got a new pair of headphones for his iPod “thank you dad!” The boys said when Owen smiled as the boys opened all their presents.

Mateo got a lot of Legos, clothes, books and a special pen that reads to you when use it in a book which made Mateo happy “Now I can read Harry Potter like the other kids!” Mateo said as Owen smiles. 

Buck got a lot of Legos, clothes, a few movies and books along with a pair of noise canceling headphones so when they are out in public and the world seems too loud Buck can put those on and feel better about the world. 

TK got the same as the other boys but instead of books and movies TK got a few video games for the Xbox including Just Dance which all the boys seem to want to play.

“Daddy has a few more presents for you boys.” Owen said when he handed out the presents from the grandparents who got all the boys Gameboys, cases and games when the boys smiled “after we clean up we need to call your grandparents and tell them thank you for the presents.” Owen said when the boys said ok.

Owen told the boys to get their slippers on before they went outside when Owen had all the boys new riding toys in the front of the house “ok close your eyes and I won’t let you boys fall.” Owen said when he led the boys to stand in front of their presents “open your eyes!” Owen told the boys when they did as Mateo got a bike which made Mateo smile, Buck got a Scooter and TK got a skateboard when Owen got all the boys new safety gear since they all needed an upgrade “than you daddy!” The boys said when they all hugged Owen who smiled “your welcome boys! Merry Christmas!” Owen said.

Owen almost forgot one more presents for Buck and Mateo “hey Buck and T I got you boys something that you need because you boys are old enough and going to the park so daddy wants you boys to be safe so here are some preset phones that have my number, Rose’s number, Jacob’s number and the stations number.” Owen said when the boys hugged Owen. 

After all the boys put their toys in their rooms Mateo took a nap when he was tired from his breakdown earlier and Christmas presents while TK and Buck was in the loft sitting on the couch playing their new GameBoys when Owen said that they are all going to take a break before dinner as Owen was going to make Christmas dinner as he bought everything for home made pizzas since Owen wanted to start some new traditions with the boys and making home made pizzas seem like a good idea because the boys can put their own toppings on their pizzas.

After all the boys were fully rested the boys helped make pizzas when Mateo was sitting on the counter when Owen smiled as TK and Carlos were standing on step stools “ok who wants pizza sauce because daddy had pesto and BBQ sauce also.” Owen told the boys when all the boys picked different sauces when TK picked pizza sauce mix Mateo picked pesto and Buck picked BBQ sauce when Owen helped the boys build their pizzas before putting them in the oven.

The older boys went to the couch when Mateo stayed with Owen who smiled at his son “you good?” Owen asked when Mateo shrugged his shoulders “do you need another break or cuddles?” Owen asked when Mateo said cuddles so Owen picked Mateo up and took him to the couch when Owen sat Owen Mateo in his lap as they cuddled while watching the boys play Xbox. 

After a fun and long day it was bedtime when Mateo went to bed a little bit earlier than the older boys when Owen out Mateo to bed as he asked Mateo if he had a good Christmas when Mateo said yes as he smiled at his dad “I know I stated out rough but it was a good day.” Mateo told Owen who smiled “that’s good buddy daddy is very excited that you had a good day.” Owen said when he tucked Mateo in and kissed his head before Owen got the room ready with the nightlight on as Owen said good night to Mateo. 

Owen went downstairs and hung out with the older boys when Buck sat in Owen’s lap “do you boys have a good Christmas?” Owen asked when he hugged Buck “yeah, thank you daddy for all the nice presents.” TK told Owen who smiled “don’t forget Santa came also he brought you the Just Dance game and Buck your noise canceling headphones.” Owen told the boys who smiled “it was the best Christmas ever!” Buck told Owen who smiled when in the past Buck would come over for Christmas but would have to go home at the end of the day “I’m glad buddy, Mateo had a good Christmas also.” Owen said when he smiled as today was a great day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas and happy holidays!


	27. Mateo goes to the hospital!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Owen takes Mateo to the specialist today!

Owen took Mateo to the Children’s hospital when they where going to meet with the specialist today to see why Mateo is so small for his age when Owen did everything he could think of when he gave Mateo those protein shakes for kids, he made sure that Mateo was eating as much as he wanted to when Mateo is still small.

“Mateo do you have your Gameboy and some games to play while we’re at the doctors?” Owen asked when Mateo said yes when he was holding his Gameboy case that the grandparents got all the boys for Christmas when they got different colors so the boys don’t get their Gameboys mixed up but they do share games as they got a bunch of games between the three of the boys. 

Jacob was going to pick up TK and Buck to take them back to the house so they could spend the day with Carlos when the boys were very happy to play at Carlos’ house but also sad that Mateo couldn’t come play with them.

“What time will you and Mateo be back?” Buck asked when Owen smiled at his son “Mateo’s appointment is at 1:30 but we have to be at the hospital by 1:00 since Mateo is a new patient so we have a lot of paperwork to fill out so I think they we’ll be home by dinner time and daddy is going to pick something up on the way home.” Owen said when the boys said ok when they hugged Mateo “we love you Mateo!” TK and Buck said as Mateo smiled at his older brothers “love you guys too!” Mateo said when he smiled at the older boys. 

Jacob and Carlos came over and got the boys when Carlos hugged all the boys when Mateo was all dressed up to leave with his winter coat on along with his shoes he got for Christmas “hopefully your appointment goes well buddy, we’re going to miss you at the house but don’t worry we’ll have another play date with all of you guys!” Jacob told Mateo who said ok when he smiled at Jacob. 

Owen and Mateo got to the hospital when Owen held Matoe’s hand as they walked inside and headed to the 5th floor where the speciality was as Owen checked Mateo in while Mateo was watching the movie that was playing as Owen smiled at his son when Owen didn’t know how long this appointment was going to be and if they needed to do any tests on Mateo.

“Mateo Chavez?” The nurse said when Mateo and Owen got up and walked to the back room as Mateo got his height and weight before they headed to an exam room when the nurse did her exam on Mateo “how old are you buddy?” The nurse asked when Mateo said “10 years old” as the nurse wrote it down on Mateo’s file “how long have you noticed that Mateo has had a height issue?” The nurse asked Owen.

“I had Mateo in my custody for 8 months and I have tried everything to help Mateo gain any weight and height but he’s much smaller than my other boys.” Owen told the nurse who smiled at Mateo who was playing his Gameboy.

“Dr.Franklin will be in to see you guys in a little bit.” The nurse said when Owen said thank you as he smiled at Mateo “daddy?” Mateo asked when Owen said yeah “what if they want to take more blood?” Mateo asked Owen “then I’ll hold you in my lap and distract you so you don’t get scared ok?” Owen asked when Mateo said ok when he went back to his game. 

Dr.Franklin knocked on the door when Owen said to come in as Mateo was sitting in Owen’s lap playing his game “hey I’m doctor Franklin and this must be Mateo.” Dr.Franklin said when he shook Owen’s hand “hey buddy can you put your game away so we can talk to the doctor?” Owen asked when Mateo did as Owen smiled at his son when they talked to the doctor for a while when Dr.Franklin already had all the X-rays and Mateo’s bloodwork from the boys pediatrician.

“I want to do an updated blood work and an updated X-ray.” Dr.Franklin said when he smiled at Mateo who said ok as he looked scared “daddy will be with you buddy so that's nothing to worry about ok?” Owen asked Mateo who said ok when they headed to radiation as Owen signed Mateo in. 

“Dr.Franklin sent down a prescription for Mateo.” Owen told the receptionists who smiled at Mateo who was peaking over the counter when Mateo was standing on his tiptoes which made Owen smile “I have Mateo in the system so I’ll call Mateo when he’s next.” Owen said thank you when Mateo and Owen sat down in the waiting room as Mateo was playing with the toys that were out as Owen smiled at Mateo. 

Mateo only had to wait five minutes before Mateo was called back to get his X-ray done as Owen helped Mateo onto the table as Owen was holding Mateo’s Gameboy case when Owen said that he’ll be right outside waiting as Mateo said ok as he waited as the X-ray tech took the scans that she needed.

“Ok buddy you are good to go I’ll have your dad come back in here and help you off the table.” Mateo said ok when Owen walked in as he smiled at Mateo when Owen helped Mateo off the table “I’ll send these up to Dr.Franklin so he can look at them when you go get your lab work done.” Owen said thank you before they left to head to the lab.

Mateo looked scared when Owen did his best to help Mateo feel better “do they have freezer spray?” Mateo asked when Owen said yes as he didn’t know but he bet if they asked the nurse could put some on Mateo’s arm before she placed the needle in “Mateo is here to get some blood work done.” Owen said when the nurse smiled at Mateo who was standing next to Owen “I have you right here in the system sweetie.” The nurse said as Mateo said ok when Owen said thank you when they sat down as Mateo played with his Gameboy while they waited. 

Owen held Mateo in his lap when the nurse examined both Mateo’s arms to find the right veins “do you have that freeze spray that can help numb the arm before you put the needle in?” Owen asked when the nurse smiled “sure do.” Mateo looked at Owen when smiled at Mateo “I’ll be right back buddy.” The nurse said when Mateo said ok when he was still scared. 

The nurse was so good at making sure that Mateo didn’t feel any pain as she talked to Mateo about what he got got Christmas “my grandparents got my a Gameboy for Christmas.” Mateo said as Owen smiled when his parents were very good with the boys.

“My parents bought all my kids Gameboys and some games so the boys have a huge collection of games that they can share.” Owen said as he smiled at Mateo “all done buddy!” The nurse said when she placed a bandage on Mateo’s arm “Dr.Franklin will see these soon so why don’t you two take a lunch break and then head back to the office.” Owen said thank you when he lifted Mateo up and they headed out the door and headed to get some lunch. 

Owen bought Mateo something special since it’s going to be a long day for Mateo “what do you want to eat buddy?” Owen asked when Mateo didn’t know “don’t we have to go back to see the doctor?” Mateo asked when Owen told Mateo that they are on a lunch break “do you want a snack since you didn’t eat much of your lunch?” Owen asked when Mateo said ok when they headed to the cafeteria when Owen bought Mateo some juice and a bag of chips when Owen got himself a water bottle and a fruit cup. 

After Mateo ate his snack Owen and Mateo headed back to the doctors office when Mateo was getting kinda tired from the long day when it was 4:30 already “hey Mateo Dr.Franklin will see you soon buddy he’s just going over your blood work.” The nurse told Owen and Mateo when Owen said thank you as he placed Mateo in his lap as Mateo normally has some time after school to chill out or take a nap after school.

“Mateo I’m ready for you buddy.” Dr.Franklin said when he smiled at Mateo when Owen and Mateo headed back to the exam room as Owen placed Mateo on the table “sorry he gets tired very quickly so I think today is a lot for Mateo.” Owen told Dr.Franklin “it’s ok I know that these appointments can be a lot for kids.” Dr.Franklin told Owen “so I looked over both sets of X-rays and blood tests and I want to schedule Mateo to spend the night so I can do more tests to see why Mateo is so small for his age.” Dr.Franklin told Owen who said ok as he rubbed Mateo’s back.


	28. Mateo learns to ride his bike!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Owen had the day off so he decides to teach Mateo how to ride his new bike when Buck and TK are very encouraging of their little brother!

Owen got all the boys outside when today they were going to play with their new Christmas presents as Buck and TK rode their scooter and skateboard on the street leading up to the house.

Owen smiled at Mateo who was getting his new helmet on along with his knee and elbow pads “ok buddy, I’m going to be right here ok?” Owen told Mateo who looked scared “you can do it Mateo!” The older boys said when they smiled at Mateo as Mateo looked scared as his bike looked so big but it was the right size for Mateo “daddy is going to be with you the whole time so don’t worry and you have training wheels so you can’t fall over baby.” Owen told Mateo who said ok as he got onto his bike when he pushed the pedals as he felt better

Mateo knew one day he can ride the bike without training wheels but for now they will stay on the bike “great job buddy!” Owen told Mateo who smiled as the older boys cheered Mateo on. 

Few weeks later 

Owen had seen a huge improvement in Mateo when Owen wanted to take the training wheels off the bike as Mateo looked scared “don’t worry daddy will be with you the whole time.” Owen reminded Mateo who said ok as Owen took the training wheels off as TK and Buck watched form the driveway as TK smiled when Mateo got his helmet and pads on before Mateo got on his bike when it was very wobbly which made Mateo scared.

“I don’t want to do it!” Mateo said when Owen took his time when Mateo got on his bike and rode a little bit when Buck had the camera out filming Mateo riding his bike when Owen smiled as he let Mateo go when Mateo was peddling all by himself “great job buddy!” Owen said as Mateo looked back and looked scared as Owen forgot to show Mateo how to stop so Mateo fell over.

“Oh buddy you did so good!” Owen asked when he went over to Mateo “you good?” Owen asked when Mateo shook his head “do you want to go again?” Owen asked when Mateo said yes as he got onto his bike and rode again. 

Owen was so proud when TK and Buck joined Mateo who smiled as they rode to the end of the street and back without any accidents which made Owen smile as Owen knew that Mateo would have a few spills but he got the idea of riding a bike down. 

After the boys were done riding their bikes with only a few scraps Owen orders pizza for dinner as TK and Buck started on their chores while Mateo did some extra reading worksheets that his teacher sent over as practice work when Mateo has some time on his hands when Mateo was getting very good with reading when he still struggles with big words. 

“Daddy? what’s B.R.I.GH.T?” Mateo asked when he spelled the word out as Owen smiled at Mateo “that spells bright, like how the lamp is very bright right now.” Owen said as Mateo said ok as he tried to say the word with sounding it out “dad we’re done cleaning up the living room, we’re going to work on the loft then our chores are done.” TK told Owen who said ok when he heard Mateo sounding more words out before Mateo put his worksheet away and went to go help clean up the loft. 

Mateo did help make the mess and Mateo felt bad that his brothers were going to clean up a mess that he made with them “Mateo you get the blankets, Buck you get the books and I’ll get the Legos.” TK told everyone who said ok when the loft was very clean with all the boys working together. 

After dinner the boys got to watch some TV before they had to get ready for bed as Mateo wanted to keep working on riding his bike but Owen told Mateo that they will do that in the morning as Mateo said ok when he joined his brothers on the couch. 

“You did very good today riding your bike.” Buck told Mateo who smiled as TK nodded his head “I’m very excited that we can all go play together at the park!” TK said as Mateo looked scared “Ty don’t push the park on Mateo.” Owen told TK who said ok when he knew that Mateo would need time to heal from the park as it’s been a few months and Mateo is just now playing in the front of the house instead of the backyard so that’s an improvement for sure. 

After all the boys were showered and dressed for bed Owen read to the boys when Mateo was sleeping in his room “night boys daddy love you so much!” Owen told the boys when they were going to have a sleepover in Mateo’s room in hopes to help Mateo feel comfortable about sleeping in the same room with other kids as Owen smiled when Buck and TK slept in sleeping bags on the floor so they could be close to Mateo if he needed anything or one of the boys had to go get Owen for some reason.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Awsomepanda for the chapter idea! 
> 
> Next chapter: Nightmares and panic attacks!


	29. Nightmares and panic attack!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys woke up to the sound of Mateo having a nightmare.

Middle of the night Buck and TK heard something when they looked at eachother when they didn’t look like they were in distress “Mateo?” Buck asked when TK looked at Mateo who was tossing and turning in his sleep “go get dad!” TK told Buck when TK tried to calm Mateo down while Buck went to get Owen who ran in.

“TK step back, you don’t want to spoke Mateo when he wakes up.” Owen said as TK did when Buck and TK looked scared when they headed to Owen’s room while Owen sat with Mateo for a while till Mateo woke up and looked scared “shh it’s ok Mateo.” Owen said when he did his best to keep Mateo calm so that they didn’t have any panic attacks.

Mateo woke up when he felt wet as he didn’t tell Owen who rubbed Mateo’s back “are you better?” Owen asked when Mateo didn’t say “I have to go to the bathroom!” Mateo told Owen who didn’t say a word before he watched Mateo run to the boys bathroom when Owen smelt something and then knew why Mateo ran as Owen got another pair of jammies for Mateo and changed the sheets before Owen went to the boys bathroom and handed Mateo the new clothes to change into when Mateo was crying.

“Oh buddy it’s ok, go take a shower and get changed and I’ll tuck you into bed.” Owen said as he smiled at his son who took a quick shower and then got changed before Mateo went to his room as Owen was sitting on the bed when Mateo didn’t look up as he was embarrassed that he wet the bed. 

Owen held Mateo in his lap when he smiled as he wanted Mateo to feel as comfortable as he could “I don’t want to talk about it.” Mateo told Owen who said ok when he knew this “daddy understands so that’s why daddy isn’t going to ask you any questions.” Owen said as he hugged Mateo “are you ready to go to bed?” Owen asked when Mateo said yes when Owen placed Mateo on bed and kissed his head “do you want the boys to sleep in here?” Owen asked when he knew how Mateo felt “they can sleep in here.” Mateo told Owen who said ok as he kissed Mateo’s head. 

Owen told the older boys that they could sleep in Mateo’s room when the boys said ok as Owen tucked both the boys in as he smiled when Mateo looked at his brothers and gave a little wave “night boys come and get me if any of you guys need me.” Owen said as he smiled when the boys said goodnight.


	30. Meeting Michelle!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Owen brings Mateo to work while Buck and TK hangout with Carlos and his older siblings.

Owen and Mateo got to work when Mateo looked tired when Owen smiled when Mateo got out of the car and headed inside to Owen’s office when Mateo lied down on the couch as Owen placed a pillow behind Mateo’s head and then placed a blanket on Mateo before Owen went to his desk and worked on some paperwork. 

Owen was downstairs in the kitchen making some coffee when Michelle walked in “hey, how can I help you?” Owen asked when Michelle smiled “I’m the new paramedic captain Michelle Blake.” Michelle said when Owen smiled as he knew that they would get a new caption to the team “I’m Owen Strand, I’m the 126 fire captain.” Owen said when he heard Mateo calling his name. 

“Hold on, my son needs me. I'll be right back. I'm so sorry.” Owen said when he went to his office and saw Mateo sitting on the couch rubbing his eyes.

“Hey buddy how was your nap?” Owen asked when Mateo looked up “good, who were you talking to?” Mateo asked when Owen smiled “someone new to the team.” Owen said as Mateo looked at Owen “want to come and meet her?” Owen asked when Mateo said ok when he took the blanket off and headed downstairs when Michelle was in the kitchen making some coffee. 

“Hey buddy.” Michelle said when Mateo looked at Owen who rubbed his hair “it’s ok buddy, daddy is here.” Owen said when Mateo said ok as he talked to Michelle for a while when Owen made breakfast for the team. 

“I have two older brothers.” Mateo said when Owen smiled as Michelle looked at Owen “I have a biological son and then I adopted my nephew and I’m working on adopting Mateo.” Owen said when Michelle smiled. 

“You are a busy man.” Michelle told Owen who smiled “daddy is the best daddy ever.” Mateo told Michelle who smiled as Michelle knew that there would be more to the store which Michelle would ask Owen when Mateo isn’t around. 

“Hey buddy why don’t you go watch TV.” Owen said when Mateo said ok when he went to the loft and turned the TVs on and watched a kids show “cute kid.” Michelle said when Owen smiled “yeah, he’s been through a lot in the last year so I do my best to make him as comfortable as I can.” Owen said when Michelle smiled. 

“My oldest son TK is from a previous marriage then there is my nephew turned son Evan but we call him Buck and then there is my sweet little guy Mateo.” Owen said when Michelle shook her head 

“where are the other boys?” Michelle asked “oh they are at a friends house because after work Mateo and I need to go to the hospital for his 24 hour test for his growth issues.” Owen told Michelle who looked sad. 

“How old are all your boys?” Michelle asked “they are all 10 years old, Mateo is just shorter then TK and Buck.” Owen said when Mateo looked over the ledge and waved which made Owen smile before Mateo went back to the couch and sat down.

“I don’t normally tell anybody this but you are a paramedic so you would know what to look for but Mateo came from an abusive home so to see him smile and talk to a stranger is huge.” Owen told Michelle who smiled as she looked at Mateo

“He got kidnapped a few months ago and he just started going with his brothers to the park to play with their friends.” Owen said which made Michelle sad “Poor kid, I can’t even imagine who would do something to Mateo.” Michelle said as the rest of the crew came in as Owen smiled. 

“Mateo is upstairs if anyone wants to say hi to him.” Owen told the crew who smiled as they love the boys when they come to visit “Hey T! How are you doing?” Eric asked when Mateo smiled “good, daddy and I have to spend the night and tomorrow at the hospital so they can do a test to see if I need to take any growth hormones to help me grow.” Mateo told the team.

“You will do great.” Eric told Mateo when Owen smiled “breakfast is almost ready if you want to join us.” Owen told Mateo who said ok when he went to wash his hands before he headed to the kitchen and ate some food as after 3 pm Mateo can’t have any more food till they get to the hospital just in case they want to do any other tests.

Mateo went on some calls when Owen brought Mateo on no extreme calls when Mateo was wearing his own little fireman hat and turnout jacket with “JR fireman.” On the back as Owen has 3 sets for the boys “Mateo stay in the rig.” Owen said when Mateo said ok when he smiled as he enjoyed watching Owen do his job “I want to be a fireman when I get older.” Mateo told himself when Eric heard this and smiled “you will be a great Fireman buddy.” Eric said when Owen smiled “who wants to be a fireman?” Owen asked “T, he smiled and said that he wants to be a fireman when he gets older.” Eric said “you will be a great Fireman buddy and daddy will help you with the exam test when the time comes.” Owen told Mateo who smiled when they headed back to the station.


	31. Mateo’a hospital stay!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mateo goes to the hospital for his 24 hour test. 
> 
> Owen gets a phone call from Elizabeth about Mateo’s case.

After work Owen took Mateo to the hospital when they checked in as Mateo was playing his Game Boy when Owen smiled as he knew that Mateo would be fine with being in the hospital for the night but he’s going to get bored tomorrow when they have to stay.

Mateo got called back when Owen smiled “come on buddy.” Owen said when they walked into the back room as Mateo got on the scale when Owen was holding the Game Boy bag before they headed to the hospital room as Mateo got on the bed when Owen smiled as the nurse took Mateo’s vitals before she told Mateo that he could change into a pair of PJ’s he brought along. 

After Mateo was changed the nurse came back and gave Mateo his IV so they could take blood every 20 minutes when Owen helped distract Mateo who cried a little bit “you did so good buddy!” Owen said while he hugged Mateo “I know buddy but now we don’t have to keep pricking you to get your blood.” The nurse told Mateo who was hiding in Owen’s shirt “thank you.” Owen said when he kissed the top of Mateo’s head before Owen sat next to Mateo who cuddled into his dad. 

2 hours later.

Mateo was eating his dinner when the nurse came in and collected more blood to send to the lab “what are you watching?” The nurse asked “Scooby Doo.” Mateo told the nurse who smiled when she got the blood that she needed “I’ll be back and I might have a special snack for you.” Owen smiled when Mateo said thank you when he looked a little bit happy. 

4 hours later 

Mateo was sleepy when Owen placed the blanket on Mateo when Owen called Rose to check in on the boys who were having a grand time with Carlos as Mateo talked to his brothers “we miss you buddy.”, TK told Mateo who smiled “I miss you too!” Mateo said when he can’t wait to go home.

“When do you come home?” Buck asked “tomorrow afternoon Buck.” Owen said when Buck said ok “when Mateo gets home can we have a movie night?” TK asked when Owen looked at Mateo who was falling asleep “we’ll see buddy, your brother might not get much sleep while we’re in the hospital.” Owen said when TK said ok.

“Daddy loves you boys so much be good for Rose and when Mateo and I can come home we will.” Owen told the boys who said that they love Owen also when Owen hung up and smiled at Mateo who looked so little in the large hospital bed. 

The next morning! 

Mateo didn’t get much sleep so he was a little bit grumpy “I know what can fix a grump kid.” The nurse said when she smiled “we have some special friends who work at the hospital let me go see if we can get one of these friends to visit you.” The nurse said when Owen said thank you while sitting next to Mateo.

“I want to go home daddy.” Mateo told Owen who felt bad when they had till this afternoon till they could leave. 

Mateo heard a dog in the hallway “daddy do you hear that?” Mateo asked when Owen smiled at his youngest son “I do baby.” Owen told Mateo when the nurse smiled as she brought in a puppy “this is Buttercup he’s one of our therapy dogs, do you want Buttercup to stay with you Mateo?” The nurse asked when Mateo said yes when Buttercup cuddled with Mateo. 

Mateo leaves the hospital.

Buttercup stayed with Mateo till it was time for him to go home when the nurse took the IV out and smiled at the sleepily little boy which made Owen smile as he lifted Mateo into his arms and carried Mateo out the room.

“Do I have to set up an appointment for Mateo?” Owen asked when the receptionist smiled “Dr.Franklin will look over the results and call you for a follow up appointment.” Owen said thank you when he looked at Mateo who was fully asleep “thank you again.” Owen said when he walked out the door and headed to the car. 

Owen placed Mateo into his booster seat when he buckled Mateo in “I’m so proud of you buddy I know that was a long day but now we can go home and sleep before your brothers come home.” Owen told Mateo when he kissed his head. 

Once they got home Owen carried Mateo into the house and up into Marteo’s room when Mateo moved a little bit before going back to sleep “love you buddy.” Owen said when he kissed Mateo’s head before he left the room and headed to his own room to catch some sleep before Rose brought TK and Buck home. 

2 hours later 

Mateo was sitting on the couch watching the TV while Owen got Mateo a snack and something to drink “here you go buddy!” Owen said when he smiled as Mateo took the cup and snack “thank you daddy.” Mateo said when Owen smiled before he sat next to Mateo who looked at his dad and smiled. 

Owen got a phone call from Elizabeth “I’ll be back buddy.” Owen said when he got up and took the call before Owen returned with a smile when he was going to tell all the boys at the same time.

Buck and TK came home when they went straight to Mateo and hugged him which made Mateo smiled when it’s only been a day that they have been apart but it felt like a whole month as Rose and Owen smiled while they watched the boys “so I got some exciting news about Mateo and when he can be adopted.” Owen told Rose who smiled.

“When?” Rose asked “they have an opening in the next few weeks so we don’t have much time to plan a party.” Owen told Rose “leave the party to me, you take care of inviting everyone who is important to Mateo.” Rose told Owen who said thank you as they hugged “why is daddy hugging Rose?” TK asked his brothers “we are not sure.” Buck said when Mateo nodded his head “bye boys it was so nice for Carlos to have a sleepover last night with the kindest boys that we know!” Rose said when TK and Buck smiled as they told Rose bye when Owen smiled. 

After Rose left Owen told the boys the news “so we all know that Mateo wishes to be adopted like Buck was right?” Owen asked when the boys said yes “well daddy got some news today from Elizabeth.” Owen said when Mateo looked at the floor “I’m not getting adopted?” Matoe asked “no buddy the opposite, you are going to be able to be adopted in the next few weeks!” Owen said as the boys cheered and hugged Mateo who smiled “we have so much to do! Mommy needs to come back!” TK told Owen “I’ll reach out to mommy to see if she can come back for Mateo’s adoption.” Owen told the boys who smiled when they were all happy for Mateo.


	32. The boys go mini-golfing!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Owen takes the boys to go play mini golf when Carlos tags along!

While Owen was working on everything that he needed to finalize Mateo’s adopted he decided to have a family fun day when he was going to take the boys to go play some mini golf at the local family fun center which the boys were super excited about “go get socks and shoes on and bring a jacket because it’s a little on the cold side.” Owen told the boys when they went to get everything before they headed to the car as Owen smiled.

“We’re going to pick up one more person before we go to the fun center.” Owen told the boys while they drove up to Carlos’ house which made all the boys smile “Carlos is going to hangout with us while Rose and Jacob take the older kids to do something else.” Owen told the boys who smiled “what are they going to do? They normally are so close as a family.” Buck asked Owen “they are going to take the teens to go see a movie but it’s not age appropriate for Carlos. Rose asked me if we could have Carlos hangout with us while they were gone.” Owen told the boys who said ok with a huge smile on their faces. 

Carlos got into the back seat with the boys when he sat next to TK as they smiled “ok let’s go to the family fun center!” Owen said when the boys were happy as they talked the whole way. 

Owen parked in the parking lot when the boys got out of the car as they waited for Owen “boys remember to be on your best behavior when we go inside and use the buddy system when we are in the arcade.” Owen told the boys when they said ok as TK and Carlos buddies up and Buck and Mateo buddies up before they headed inside.

The family fun center was huge with an arcade inside with a snack bar then on the outside there was a mini golf course, bumper cars and go karts when Owen got the boys a fun pass so they could do all the activities. 

Owen took the boys to go get their golf clubs and a ball so they could play a round of mini golf as a family before Owen let the boys go do the go carts and other things “Ok everyone step up get a club and a ball then we’ll go to the first hole.” Owen told the boys when they said ok as each of the boys got a different color ball TK got green, Buck got red, Carlos got yellow and Mateo got blue.

“What color did you get?” TK asked Owen “daddy got black.” Owen said with a smile when they headed to the first hole TK went first then Buck, Carlos and finally Mateo who took his time when Owen kept score for the boys “it’s just for fun.” Owen told the boys who said ok. 

Halfway through the game TK and Buck were in the lead with Carlos not far behind and Mateo just followed his brothers “are you having fun?” Owen asked Mateo who said yes “I don’t really care about the game. I just like hitting the ball in the hole.” Mateo told Owen who smiled when Buck and TK were about to sword fight with their clubs “boys be good or we will have to go home.” Owen said as the boys stopped and continue with the game. 

After the family was done playing mini golf the older boys went to go play on the go karts while Mateo hung back with Owen “can I drive the karts daddy?” Mateo asked when Owen checked with one of the employees.

“How old is he?” One of the employees asked Owen “he’s 10.” Owen said “how tall is he?” The employee asked “he’s 50 inches tall.” Owen said “he can go by himself.” The employee told Owen who thanked him “ok buddy go get in one of the karts.” Owen to Mateo who did as he smiled when he could do something with his brothers and Carlos without feeling like a little kid. 

Owen smiled when he watched the boys enjoying themselves when TK and Buck were racing eachother and Carlos wasn’t too far behind them as Mateo did his best to keep up but he had a hard time reaching the pedals “stupid height!” Mateo said as he looked upset as they were getting ready to come on from the track and went to meet Owen.

“That was so much fun!” The older boys said when Mateo looked at Owen “what’s wrong?” Owen asked “I’m too little, I had a hard time reaching the pedals.” Mateo told Owen “it’s ok buddy,do you boys want to go get a snack?” Owen asked when they boys said yes as they headed inside and to the snack bar.

“What do you boys want to eat and drink?” Owen asked as each of the boys took a turn ordering before the boys went to find a table “how do you boys like today?” Owen asked when Mateo was sitting next to Owen “so much fun!” TK and Buck said while Carlos shook his head and smiled.

“What about you buddy?” Owen asked “it’s ok, I just wish I could do the go karts like the other boys.” Mateo told Owen who felt bad for Mateo “don’t worry we are going back to see Dr.Franklin and go over your results.” Owen told Mateo who said ok as the boys snacks were ready when the boys headed to the snack bar and picked them up. 

After the boys had their snack the boys got to play in the arcade for a little while before they headed home when they dropped Carlos off at his house “thank you Mr.Strand for a fun day!” Carlos told Owen who smiled “your welcome buddy, we’ll see you later!” Owen said as Roman was waiting for Carlos outside the door with a smile on his face “did you have fun?” Roman asked when Carlos told Roman what they did as Owen and the boys drove off to their house. 

Once they got home the boys took their shoes off and put them in the shoe basket before they headed upstairs while Owen felt a tiny hand on his shirt when he turned around and saw Mateo “hey buddy what’s up?” Owen asked “thank you for a fun day.” Mateo told Owen who smiled “your welcome buddy!” Owen said as he hugged Mateo before Mateo went to join the older boys upstairs.


	33. Adoption Day!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After countless weeks of getting everything ready to go today is the day that Mateo gets adopted!

The night before! 

All the boys where excited because in a few hours Mateo was finally going to be officially apart of the family when Owen had a hard time putting the boys down for bed “in the morning we are going to wake up and then daddy is going to make breakfast for us before we head to the courthouse to finalize Mateo’s adoption!” Owen told the boys when they said yes when a lot of their friends and Gwen are going to join them at the courthouse. 

Mateo was in his bed when Owen smiled at his youngest son “hey buddy how are you doing?” Owen asked when Mateo said good “are you excited for tomorrow?” Owen asked Mateo “yeah but what if the judge says no?” Mateo asked Owen “he’s not going to say no buddy, tomorrow is going to be a day of celebrating you and you joining our family.” Owen told Mateo who said ok when Owen hugged Mateo and said goodnight “love you buddy!” Owen told Mateo who smiled “love you too daddy!” Mateo told Owen who cracked the door and got all the boys outfits ready for tomorrow morning when Owen bought Mateo his own adopting outfit and the older boys are going to wear what they wore when Buck got adopted. 

Adopting Morning! 

Owen and the boys woke up when Owen made breakfast for the boys when Gwen came downstairs when she got in very late last night but wanted to be at Mateo’s adoption “mommy!” TK said when he hugged his mom “hey baby!” Gwen said as she hugged the boys and kissed their heads “how was your flight?” Owen asked Gwen while serving the boys their breakfast “good, I’m so glad to be here to see a certain little boy get adopted.” Gwen said when she smiled at Mateo who smiled back at Gwen. 

After breakfast the boys got dressed when Owen helped do their hair so it looked nice for pictures when TK and Buck were splashing each other with the water. “Boys please stop.” Owen said when Gwen was helping Mateo get his shoes on. 

Once the family got to the courthouse they saw their friends when Carlos hugged his friends when he smiled at Mateo “hey honey!” Rose said when she hugged the boys who smiled while Owen was taking pictures of the boys together when Gwen took pictures of Owen and the boys together “Do you want a family picture with all of you guys?” Rose asked when Owen said sure as they got the boys together enough that they could get a nice picture. 

Once the family got inside Mateo was talking with Roman who smiled at the little boy who looked happy “what are you going to do after you get adopted?” Roman asked Mateo “I don’t know daddy is going to take us out to lunch then we’ll go home and I don’t know from then.” Mateo told the older boy who smiled.

“Family of Mateo they are ready for you in room 6.” The family headed to courtroom 6 as Owen, Mateo and Elizabeth sat at the table while their friends and family sat in the rows of chairs “Hey Mateo are you excited for today?” The judge asked when Mateo looked at Owen and the boys “yes sir.” Mateo said when he smiled “do you know what your new name is?” The judge asked Mateo who said yes “Mateo Chase Chavez-Strand.” Mateo said when everyone smiled as Mateo spent the last few days practicing his name. 

Owen smiled when he looked at Mateo who grew so much from when Owen first met Mateo his shy little boy who would hide at anyone asking him a basic question and now he’s talking to people and answering questions that are being asked “Who’s with you today?” The judge asked Mateo “my daddy, my brothers, my family and friends.” Mateo told the judge when he smiled at his dad and family. 

TK and Buck watched their little brother answer questions when they smiled “Owen will you love Mateo as your own?” The judge asked when Owen said yes when he smiled at Mateo who smiled at his dad when he signed the papers while Elizabeth smiled at Mateo “I’m so happy for you buddy.” Elizabeth said when Mateo smiled at his case manager “thank you.” Mateo said when Mateo looked at Owen and smiled “ok one last paper and Mateo is your son.” The judge said when Owen signed the last paper “Mateo is your son!” The judge said when he smiled at Mateo and the family “thank you!” Matoe said when Owen hugged his son and kissed his head. 

After the family got their pictures with the judge with Mateo in the middle of the boys when Owen placed a hand on Mateo's shoulder “I’m happy!” Mateo said when Owen smiled “I’m glad buddy!” Owen said when they were done with their pictures as the older boys were trying to push into each other “Boys please be good.” Gwen told the boys when they were good. 

After the family left the courthouse the whole group headed to lunch when Owen smiled at his boys “daddy?” Mateo asked when Owen said yes “I love you.” Mateo told Owen who smiled “love you too baby.” Owen told Mateo when they got to the restaurant

“Please be good boys.” The boys said ok when Owen held Mateo’s hand when they crossed the street as the older boys went ahead of the group “hi we have a reservation for 12 under Strand.” Owen said as the boys were sitting down on the bench with TK and Buck trying to see who could punch each other the hardest which Owen put a stop to.

“If you two don’t start behaving then when we get home you won’t be able to play your video games for the rest of the day.” Owen told the boys who stopped “this is supposed to be a happy day, not you two trying to hurt each other.” Owen told the boys who said sorry “no Teo you don’t have to say sorry.” Owen told his youngest son. 

Carlos and the boys sat next to each other when they smiled and talked while the adults smiled at the boys. 

Mateo sat in Owen’s lap when he looked tired, “poor buddy.” Gwen said as Mateo smiled “so you're my daddy like for real?” Mateo asked Owen who smiled “yes buddy, you are my son for the rest of your life just like Buck and TK.” Owen told Mateo who smiled. 

After lunch the family headed back to the house when Mateo took a nap while TK and Buck played in the backyard “daddy gave me a small party when he adopted me. Why does Mateo get a party and a celebration lunch?” Buck asked TK thinking Owen is playing favorites with the boys “go ask daddy I’m sure it’s not that, we were in the middle of moving when daddy adopted you.” TK told Buck who went to find Owen.

“Why did Mateo get lunch and a party when I only got dinner and no party? Do you have a favorite that you adopted and why is it Mateo!” Buck said when Owen looked at his middle son who spewed a lot of information out at a time “hold on buddy let’s take a deep breath then I’ll answer all your questions ok?” Owen asked when Buck did.

“Do you remember when daddy adopted you how scared you were?” Owen asked Buck who nodded his head “do you remember that we were moving from New York in a short amount of time?” Owen asked Buck who said yes.

“Daddy was going to keep it a surprise but it’s not just Mateo’s party it’s an adoption party for both my boys.” Owen told Buck who smiled “daddy is still going to do something just you and me then Mateo and daddy without the doctors or hospital, so whatever you want to do daddy will take you and we can celebrate your adoption just a little later on then I wanted to.” Owen told Buck who smiled.

“Sorry I accused you of playing favorites.” Buck told Owen who hugged Buck “it’s ok buddy, daddy understands why you thought what you thought. Daddy doesn’t play favorites when it comes to you boys, daddy loves you all equally and it may look like I have to spend more time with Mateo because of his medical needs but daddy always does his best to make sure that he can be with you boys when he can.” Owen told Buck when Buck went to play with TK. 

After Matoe’s nap he felt better so he went to find his brothers outside when they were playing on the playground “look it’s the adoption day boy!” TK said with a smile which made Mateo smile back at his brothers when they played together. 

Owen and Gwen watched the boys from inside the house when they enjoyed watching the boys play so nicely together “TK always wanted a sibling and now he had 2.” Gwen told Owen who smiled “TK had been a good sport about the boys, he never complained about them or treated them differently. It's like from day one they just clicked and found a way to make a bond as brothers.” Owen told Gwen who smiled “I think that you had a hand in helping TK understand that his cousin and friend needed a loving home where the boys became brothers.” Gwen said as Owen smiled. 

Bedtime!” 

Owen was putting Mateo to bed when he smiled at his dad “my forever daddy.” Mateo told Owen who smiled “my forever son.” Owen said when he kissed Mateo’s head “love you baby I’ll see you in the morning, if you need anything you can come to my room.” Owen told Mateo who smiled while Owen cracked the door and went to check on TK and Buck who were sleeping in the loft “night boys, daddy loves you so much!” Owen said as he kissed each of the boys heads.

**Author's Note:**

> Please give me some time to update all my stories I just started back to college so I need some time to adjust from writing all summer long to doing school work. 
> 
> Thank you for all the support that you guys have given me over time!


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